The former jockey discusses the biggest cards in racing over the Christmas period and picks out a few tips.
Retired jockey Aidan Coleman has spoken exclusively to Betway about all the big racing cards over the Christmas period and discussed some of the biggest names in the Cheltenham betting.
Let’s go through the main Christmas cards, starting with Kempton. What are the challenges to the track, and what is it like riding there?
It’s a fair track. It is very flat. The fences are nice, the hurdles are nice and there’s nothing tricky about it.
Some may describe it as boring! But one thing about it, especially in these better championship races over the Christmas period, is they will go fast because it’s flat, it’s a speed track. At the same time, you do need to stay because the race is run at a very fast tempo.
So, you need to be able to go that tempo and maintain it and that makes it difficult because not many horses deal with that.
It’s a completely different test than a Gold Cup or something like that where it’s all about stamina.
At Kempton you do need more stamina than people think because you are going at a strong pace from the outset, and there’s no let up.
You can’t afford to jump slow or be a slow jumper. You just need to travel.
The King George is a proper test of a racehorse because it shows the speed and stamina combined. That’s what makes it a great race. It is one of the best races on the calendar.
You’ve ridden in a King George – what are your memories?
I’ve ridden a few there but never had any success, to be fair!
You need to keep going, whereas if you take a lesser race and they go that quick earlier midway through the race, the pace will collapse somewhere, whereas in the King George you turn in and they go again! It’s just a super horse race.
Is the atmosphere special, especially on Boxing Day?
Kempton wouldn’t be best for crowds for the majority of its meetings, really, would it? But on a King George day it comes alive. It’s a great atmosphere with a massive festive crowd.
Who’s been your most impressive winner of the King George for you in your memory?
My favourite King George would probably be when Cue Card beat Vautour in 2015. That was a classic, wasn’t it? I loved that race. Cue Card won by a head in one of the great finishes.
In the last couple of years, it has turned up some surprises with Tornado Flyer and Hewick but the Cue Card race is my favourite. Cue Card was going for the Triple Crown that year and fell in the Gold Cup when he looked set to win the £1m bonus.
What made that stand out for you?
Cue Card was Cue Card and Vautour was top class too. They turned in upsides and they finished upsides. It was just a proper horse race. I think I was watching it at Market Rasen!
Who do you fancy for this year from those we know about?
Jango Baie is the one for me. He wouldn’t have run at this trip, but I think he’ll stay. He’s got that speed. He won an Arkle. He’s probably not a championship two-miler in open company, even though he did win one as a novice.
He stepped up in trip and hit the line really strongly at Ascot. I love the horse and I think Kempton will suit everything about him. His first go at this trip will be fine because he’ll travel.
I’m good friends with Harry Redknapp and I’d love to see The Jukebox Man go well, who won the novice on the same card last year.
The only thing about The Jukebox Man, who is an extremely talented horse, but I just don’t know if he’s conditioned enough for one of these really hard races. I just don’t know if he has got the experience.
The only way you can get that is by running in these races. But obviously by getting hurt last year, he missed the chance to run at all the Festivals. And I think that might just be his undoing in a race like this.
And I suppose you can’t ignore Gaelic Warrior!
What’s Harry like as an owner?
He’s passionate! But he’s an absolute gentleman as well, he’s got time for everyone.
Everyone knows him well from being in the Jungle and from football. Any time you’re with him, if you ever meet him, he will not say no to anyone. He’ll always speak to everyone, give everyone the time of day.
He can’t walk five yards without being stopped but he never complains. He’s just an absolute gentleman. He’s just very nice to me, we get on really well.
Thoughts on the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton?
Sir Gino is the Donnellys’ Champion Hurdle horse. He is an extremely talented horse, but it was only a few months ago we were reading he was at death’s door. He suffered from a life-threatening bacterial infection in the ligaments of his near hind leg.
I could never tell anyone back to a horse coming back from something like that.
Sometimes these things can damage them. He got an infection. These things can leave a mark on a horse. It’s only when you get into the tempo of a race and under pressure that it might become evident.
In my opinion that is what’s happened to Constitution Hill. I think that’s why he’s doing what he’s doing.
He’s wearing the effects of that season where he had the colic and he got ill and he bled or he worked bad at Kempton or whatever happened that day. Stuff like that. You don’t see signs of it at home, but when you get into race conditions it comes out.
Sir Gino is a very talented horse and I can’t wait to watch him and I hope he rocks up and it wouldn’t surprise me if he won.
But at the same time, it would be a watching brief for me coming back from his issue.
And if Lossiemouth comes over that adds spice. I don’t think she ran her race last year against Constitution Hill. I fancied her last year against Constitution Hill and I never was happy watching it.
I don’t think she actually turned up that day. I don’t think we saw the real Lossiemouth at Kempton last year.
It’s all going to make the Christmas Hurdle a fascinating contest.
We’re used to seeing three or four runners and I think this year we’re going to see a bigger field.
Constitution Hill isn’t the force of old and people are going to want to take him on, so everyone’s going to throw their hat in the ring. I bet the Tizzards will run Alexei, who won the Greatwood Hurdle and there will be others.
What did you think about the Constitution Hill in the Fighting Fifth? Do you think he will retire?
I hope not. He’s not old. It would be a crime to retire him. What’s he going to retire to do? To stand in a field? That’s not the most enjoyable thing horses can do.
His confidence will be affected massively. His confidence is gone but he can get it back.
He has not lost something that you can’t find again. It’s difficult, especially the races he’s running in, the championship races.
It would be a shame if it was the last time we saw Constitution Hill. In my opinion he’s one of the greatest horses we’ve ever seen.
But unfortunately to be one of the greatest horses, you need longevity and he hasn’t had that. He’s one of the most talented horses ever to set foot on the racecourse.
But to be talked about like a Hurricane Fly or Istabraq, you need seasons under your belt and unfortunately, he hasn’t had that.
No- one can argue that on his day he was one of the most talented horses we’ve never seen. It’s a shame that he hasn’t had the rub of the green.
I really hope they don’t retire him. These are racehorses, you know. Of course he’ll win again; whether he can win a Champion Hurdle again is probably going to be difficult.
Who will win this year’s Champion Hurdle?
If Constitution Hill jumps well his next couple of runs, he’s back favourite for the Champion Hurdle.
There’s no new kid on the block, not a standout one.
On to Leopardstown now. What are the challenges there and what qualities do horse and rider need?
They are bigger fences at Leopardstown, nice fences, but bigger!
They are very well presented at Leopardstown and take a bit more jumping. Leopardstown may look flat, but there is a big climb from around two out to the line.
It does actually take a lot of getting. It’s more or less two miles round. It takes a lot more getting than people think looking at it on TV. It’s very stiff from two out to the line. It is just a great track.
What are your thoughts on the main races?
The Savills Chase to me looks pretty boring and I can’t look past Galopin Des Champs. He loves the track and doesn’t need any introduction to Leopardstown. He just knows how to win there. It is a bit of a worry that he is going there without a recent run. He usually runs in the John Durkan which didn’t happen this year but for me, you can’t look past Galopin des Champs.
I couldn’t back Inothewayurthinkin’ after he was beaten 52 lengths in the John Durkan.
Fact To File has his chances, especially with the benefit of a run. He was second behind Gaelic Warrior at Punchestown. Last year’s Fact To File always got a bit exposed around Leopardstown, he is a very big horse and he is only eight. So, there’s a good chance he will be a stronger horse this year.
If he is, and if Galopin Des Champs shows signs of his age, then Fact To File is the one to take over.
In the Christmas Hurdle, Ballyburn is the most talented, but I am not sure he is ready to be a stayer yet. He was keen at Punchestown when he was just beaten by Teahupoo in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse at the end of November.
It was a great run and both deserved to win. It was literally on the nose. He was unfortunate to miss out. I just don’t know if he has the run style of a stayer yet.
He is the most talented in the field, no doubt; but if he’s keen then it’s going to be very hard for him to win. If you told me Ballyburn was going to settle, then he wins that race by a considerable margin.
I love Joseph O’Brien’s Home By The Lee. He really suits Leopardstown; he won this last year. He races like a stayer; he’s quite lazy. You can ignore his last couple of runs because he ran at Punchestown and Aintree and both of them wouldn’t suit him. And the time before that he actually got brought down in Cheltenham. He’s a more solid bet for me.
How disappointing is it that Kopek des Bordes is missing out at Leopardstown?
It’s a shame, isn’t it? He’s had the operation to get the chip out of his knee. That wouldn’t worry me long term. I still think Kopek des Bordes will win the Arkle.
These things happen a lot more than you think. It’s a pretty routine thing, as long as it is what we read. It’s not anything to worry about going forward.
Once it’s done, they don’t usually have too many problems down the line.
He was brilliant at Navan, especially his jumping, which I wouldn’t have been sure about beforehand. Watching him over hurdles I thought it’d be interesting to see how good a jumper he is and wow, he definitely answered that question.
How much of a pointer is Leopardstown towards Cheltenham?
Huge, even though they are very different. You’d like to have seen Kopek run at Leopardstown.
But I think Romeo Coolio is a very good horse and the two mile Racing Post Chase is probably his race to lose now. He’s the best there, he’s a really good jumper and he’s a really likeable horse.
He won’t be far away at Cheltenham but is he as good as Kopek to me? Probably not but he’s still a very good horse in his own right and it’d be good to see a bit more competition in that race.
Around this time of year is when Willie Mullins starts flexing his muscles, isn’t it?
Yep! We saw that last week in the Tingle Creek with Il Etait Temps. It’s just about now he hits form, so everybody should watch out!
But you mustn’t forget Gordon. He isn’t going anywhere but obviously when Willie comes out it just gets a bit harder.
That’s what it’s been like for the last however many years and I don’t see any sign of it changing this year.
What are your thoughts on the the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow?
I love Chepstow. I won the Welsh National on Emperor’s Choice in 2014 for Venetia Williams.
It was a great thrill. I beat Sam Twiston-Davies on Benvolio by a short head. It’s a huge race with a great atmosphere there for what is Wales’s biggest horse race. It’s a great meeting.
It might not be littered with the good races like Kempton and Leopardstown are, but it’s a great meeting in its own right.
What’s the main challenge it represents?
It’s known to be usually quite testing. There’s a peculiar start there, passing the stand. The first obstacle is a really sharp bend. You pass the stand downhill and there’s a sharp left hand bend and it can get quite congested and crowded.
You have to make sure you don’t lose your position, even though you still have three or three and a half miles left to go.
It’s a very important part of the race, that first few furlongs with that first bend.
To be fair, after that, Chepstow is a really fair, really simple track with lovely fences. It’s pretty much like two bends, two straights.
You kind of position yourself anywhere you want. So, after you have got the first bend out of the way, it’s a pretty straightforward race to ride in.
It takes a lot of stamina, which it would on soft ground and the bones of four miles. So of course, it’s going to be stamina sapping. It’s a gruelling race. Even if it’s not particularly heavy ground, you still need to stay very well.
Is winning there one of your favourite memories?
I was very fortunate to have a lot of good ones in my time, but it is certainly a great memory.
I was with Venetia at the time. Her horses all seem to love deep ground. It’s just the way they’re trained. They’re brought in maybe slightly later than most trainers do.
By the time they’re ready to go, it’s winter. What happens in the winter? It’s invariably wet so the ground is softer when they’re ready to go. Venetia in the winter is a formidable force.
Do you have a tip for the Welsh National?
I do really like Rock My Way from Joe Tizzard’s yard. He won an Ascot last time out over the three miles and five furlongs of the Berkshire National. So, he is guaranteed to stay and was second in the National Hunt Challenge Cup at Cheltenham last year behind Haiti Couleurs.
He was fifth in the Scottish National at Ayr, so he is guaranteed to stay. He’s been there and done it in hard races. Once you’ve got them under the belt, it adds an edge to you, a bit of grit, a bit of determination.
He ticks all the boxes for me. Rock My Way, I love him.
