Luke Morris: “He’s well handicapped and I could see him going well”
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The All Weather Champion Jockey takes us through his rides at Wolverhampton this Saturday
WHAT a brilliant week of racing it’s been at the Cheltenham Festival this week, but what’s been usual compared to the last couple of years is the number of short-priced favourites and well-fancied horses getting turned over.
Douvan being beaten at 2-9 in the Queen Mother Champion Chase was the biggest turn up and it goes to show that any horse on any given day can be beaten.
I’ve ridden plenty of short-priced favourites and before the race you have a view in your mind whether the horse you’re riding is well fancied or not. You then decide how realistic the chance of the horse winning is, as not every favourite or odds-on shot deserves to be the price they are judged on things like their form, the opposition and track conditions.
Then it’s down to how the horse performs on the day and there can be any number of reasons why a horse does not run up to expectations.
After the race it’s about assessing what’s happened before you get back and report to connections with a view to improving next time. As a jockey you generally have a couple of minutes to gather your thoughts and first instincts. I tend to go with my gut when I report back to connections as it tends to be a pretty good guide and hopefully that gives them a helping hand for the future.
She ran very well last time over 1m1f and has been crying out for the step up in trip. Going up to 1m4f this time will be a real big help and I think that’ll help her be involved in the shake up at the end of the race.
It was his first run since being gelded last time and that’s really helped him. The time before he got into a bit of a stir before the race and that hampered his chances. He’s a horse that’s still improving and when the grass season arrives, I think he’ll be the sort to be contesting some decent handicaps. I’d like to think he can win this as another stepping stone along the road for him to those bigger days.
The trainer likes this one a lot and reports him to be in really good form at home. He’s well handicapped and I could see him going well at a bigger price.
She’s been in good form but has paid the price for her consistency and is now in the grip of the handicapper. Having said that, she’s reliable and as a result she’s got an each-way chance in this.
Cheers,
Luke
