Jamie Spencer bullish about his chances on The Grey Gatsby
Published:
The news of Kieran Fallon’s retirement is sad. I’ve been in England for 16 years so he’s always been around during my career. He’s a brilliant jockey, and actually people see a different side to him than I do.
I’ve always found him to be really kind and he would do anything for anybody. He was a tough competitor, hard to ride against and from around 2000-2006, he was at the peak of his powers, almost unbeatable.
I’ve a busy day today and I reckon I’ve some decent chances over the next couple of days at Newmarket. Today, I ride Gunnery in the first. He likes easy ground and he’s a progressive handicapper. At Royal Ascot, he ran very well in the Queen’s Vase considering he didn’t have much luck in running.
It was very slow paced race which didn’t suit him and he hasn’t got a lot of ground to make up with Harbour Law. Obviously the Aidan O’Brien horse, Housesofparliament, is stepping right up in trip so that will be an interesting one, but I think Prize Money will be the hardest to beat in this race.
I ride Broken Stones in the 2.40. He’s only run once but did well to win at York when a lot went wrong early in the race. He was due to run at Royal Ascot but the ground was too soft, so he’ll like the conditions today. Obviously Ardad and Mehmas look the two to beat but I’ll be looking for my horse to run a good race. It’s a tough race on only his second start, but I think he is a horse for the future and if he doesn’t go close today, he’ll do well down the line.
In the Princess of Wales’s Stakes, I ride The Grey Gatsby. He ran at Royal Ascot on ground that he didn’t like but it was good for him to get the run. It’s the first time that he’s had fast ground since the Coral-Eclipse last year which is just unbelievable. He is in good form, Kevin Ryan is happy with him and although Exosphere is the favourite, it’s hard to carry a penalty in Group races. On ratings, The Grey Gatsby is well clear and it’s just a case of him getting the trip. I think he will just about win.
In the 3.45, I’m on Mont Kiara. He was a bit disappointing on his first two runs this year. However he went out and ran well last time so he’s back on track. It’s a tough race. Looking at the form I thought Taneen is a top horse and will be hard to beat, even though he’s carrying so much weight. The other big danger is Dancing Star.
I’m on Snow Squaw in the 4.20. I’ve never seen her, but I know that David Elsworth said that he had an Excelebration he really liked and I’m hoping that this is the one. You just never know, but hopefully she has a squeak.
In the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes, I ride Mohab. He ran just ok on first start this year. He’s had a bit of time off since then and worked at Redcar about three weeks ago and Kevin Ryan was very happy with him. There’s a lot of horses in this race trying to get back on track and we’ll just have to see how he goes. I suppose Aidan O’Brien’s horse, General Macarthur, will have a squeak and the other horse I liked was Crazy Horse, who was a bit disappointing in the French Guineas but he’s getting back on track here as well.
My last ride of the day is on Lady Kyllar. She’s come down the ratings; she’s back on a rating of 83. She’s well capable of being competitive off that mark so she should have a reasonable chance. She’s had a break and is back to five furlongs will be a big help to her. It doesn’t look a very strong race for Newmarket so hopefully she can go well.
My best chance of the day is The Grey Gatsby. He’s the most solid and the fact that he’s going to get the race on fast ground is a big deal for him. It’s hard to say how much he needs it, but hopefully he will be at his best.
