Jim Crowley: “I’m confident Battaash will run another great race”
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Coral ambassador discusses his Friday rides at Ebor
Elarqam ran a big race in the Juddmonte International on Wednesday and I thought we were actually unlucky not to be a lot closer at the finish. We just got caught flat-footed at a vital point, about three furlongs out, and at that point I didn’t think I’d be in the first five home.
The way we finished was absolutely fantastic and I really do think he will be a Group One winner in the future. He has such a nice pedigree and he is going to stay in training and he should be all set for a big year next year.
I have some very exciting rides on Friday, including Battaash in the Nunthorpe…
Restorer hasn’t shown a huge amount this season but he is three pounds lower than his last winning mark, at Leicester, so that does give us hope.
There has been some rain around which will help and the more the better from that point of view. I do think he has an each-way chance with the low draw helping as well.
He has won over this course and distance before and he comes out third on the ratings but Stradivarius will be very tough to beat as always!
It does seem difficult to see anything beating the champion stayer but we will be aiming to run a big race and he has the ability to hit the frame.
It was great to win at Goodwood for the third time and this year he actually ran a quicker time than the previous year despite me giving him a slightly easier ride.
He hasn’t performed to his best at York before but being drawn on the far rail in stall one should definitely help and I am really looking forward to this one.
Ten Sovereigns was very impressive in winning the July Cup but I hope that Battaash will just have too much speed for him here.
He deserves to win this race. It would be great to get the York hoodoo off his back and with things slightly different this year I am confident that he will run another great race. Fingers crossed everything works out.
Molatham ran a really nice race first time out and the form has been franked with the horse he finished behind winning since.
He is stepping up a furlong here to seven and I think that that is a massive plus for him.
He is a lovely horse, I have ridden him out plenty of times and always been very impressed. He has a big chance here and hopefully he can continue to keep moving in the right direction.
I think he has a great chance here. We have two runners in this race, including the market leader who runs off 8″7 which I couldn’t quite do, but I think Fanaar will be right in the mix.
He won the Spring Cup on the all-weather and whilst things haven’t quite gone right for him this year he has still shown real promise.
He has blinkers on here which will help and if the ground is good everything should be in his favour. He should run a really big race.
Jim
