Our columnist Darly Jacob reflects on Top Notch’s run at Ascot last weekend while looking ahead to a trio of rides at Kempton Park on Saturday.
I’ve got to sweat down to 10-7 to ride Ballykan in the Betdaq Handicap Chase at Kempton on Saturday and that’s about as low as I can go these days. It means a morning in the gym and the sauna but hopefully it’ll be worth it as he’s just running into some form.
Indeed, last time he ran into a good horse in the ill-fated Fountains Windfall and it was yet another example of how he raises his game at Kempton.
Fourth in this race two years ago and then fifth last year, he’s better handicapped now off 133 than he was on his last two goes and the drying ground will help him as well - that’s the absolute key to this horse.
He’s done well at home since his last run and, while he’ll have to improve from that again to get in the mix here, he can do that. I’d say he has a good each-way chance in a competitive renewal.
Earlier on the card I ride Beau Gosse for Guillaume Macaire in the Betdaq #changingforthebettor Adonis Juvenile Hurdle and I’m really looking forward to it.
He has some good from in France having won three times and this fits into his schedule nicely as he’ll have some big targets coming up at Auteuil in the spring.
I spent some time at Macaire’s last summer so I nice this fellow well. I’ve sat on him a few times and he’s a lovely horse, good-looking, and it looks like there might be plenty of pace in this race which would suit him as well.
In the Sky Bet Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle I ride Global Citizen for Ben Pauling having won on him at Southwell earlier in the month.
He won very nicely that day, but I’m not sure what the form is worth. He does things nicely at home, though, so while he’ll have to step up on the bare form we think he’s got some improvement in him.
On Sunday I go to Southwell for one ride, but it’s one I’m looking forward to as Hero’s Creek works very nicely at home for Ben.
He makes his debut in the grandnational.fans Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race and I’m hoping the ground dries up a bit as I think that will be better for him.
He has come back from a little bit of an injury, but he’s fine now and we really like him. He has plenty of potential so it’s exciting to see what he can do on the track finally.
Hopefully this weekend can be a bit better than last where I had no winners.
That was disappointing, but on reflection I though Top Notch ran perfectly well in a hot renewal of the Betfair Ascot Chase.
They went really quick and I think they just caught him on the hop after two months off on ground that was a bit dead.
After his mini break the ground and the pace just found him out, but I’m sure he’ll be much better at Cheltenham.
Nicky Henderson will fine-tune him for the Ryanair Chase now, so hopefully he’ll go there in the same form he was when winning impressively at Ascot earlier in the season.
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