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Jim Crowley: “I’ve wanted to ride Khuzaam over this distance for a while”

| 25.06.2021
SPORTSBOOK ODDS

Coral ambassador Jim Crowley previews his rides at Newcastle on Saturday

Jim rides Fleeting Prince in the 13:45 at Newcastle

My first ride on ‘Plate’ day is Fleeting Prince for Charlie Hills, a horse I’ve ridden once before, at Glorious Goodwood last summer.

He’s only got the one career win to his name, but he’s run plenty of nice races, including a third at Newmarket last time. He was actually dropped a pound for that run, whether 97 is a winnable mark for him, I’m not sure, but in an open race I’d hope he’s got an each-way chance.

Jim rides Khuzaam in the 14:20 at Newcastle

Shadwell run three in this Group 3 contest, and I’ve plumped for Khuzaam over Khaadem and Tabdeed, although both of those are nice horses.

Khaadem seems to be coming back to form and has been placed on his last two, while I won the Hackwood on Tabdeed last summer, so it wasn’t an entirely straightforward choice.

I have gone for Khuzaam though, a horse who’s done all his racing over seven furlongs or further, but I’ve been thinking he could drop back in trip for a while, so now I’ve got my chance to see what he can do!

His best form has come on the all-weather, including a win in the big mile race at Lingfield on Good Friday, and provided he’s not taken off his feet over this six furlong trip – which I don’t think he will be – I think he’s got a great chance.

Jim rides Margaret Dumont in the 14:55 at Newcastle

I’ve not ridden Margaret Dumont before, but she’s a nice daughter of Camelot who will stay this two-mile trip well.

She just bumped into one at Wolverhampton last time, but it was a decent return to form for her. If she can improve again, and she’s lightly raced enough to think she should, it would be no surprise to see her right on the scene here.

Jim rides Rainbow Dreamer in the 15:30 at Newcastle

My ride in the feature Northumberland Plate is Rainbow Dreamer for Alan King, who also saddles the favourite, Trueshan.

He’s got plenty of decent form on the all-weather, and after a couple of runs in Group 3s, this drop back to handicap company, albeit with a hefty weight, should suit him.

Carrying 9-10 does mean he could be vulnerable to something lower down the weights, as well as Trueshan, who is the class act despite top weight, but my fellow was fifth in the race 12 months ago, and from a decent draw in stall nine, I’d hope he can run a similar race this time around.

Jim rides Baashir in the 16:40 at Newcastle

I end the day on Baashir, who was a York winner on his last start, and is a Shadwell horse I like.

He has gone up six pounds for that win, and if that rise isn’t enough to scupper our chances, I think he should be there or thereabouts on a surface I think will suit him.

Jim

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Jim Crowley

Jim Crowley began his flat racing career as an amateur before switching to National Hunt racing, where he landed approximately 300 winners. He then returned to the flat to ride for sister-in-law Amanda Perrett. After years of hard work, Jim was finally rewarded when we won the 2016 Stobart Flat Jockey Championship with an incredible 148 winners. That was followed by a lucrative retained partnership with leading owner Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum, for whom he is the no.1 jockey.