Jim Crowley: This horse could be better than Royal Scotsman
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Jockey and Coral ambassador Jim Crowley discusses the chances of his weekend rides at Newmarket and Goodwood.
Saturday
He was impressive to win last time over this course and distance as he was locked up for most of the race. He didn’t see daylight until the final 100 yards, and then he flew home. He is a horse I really like. His only defeat so far came at Ascot, but the form of that race has worked out well. You could also say he was unlucky that day.
I think he has come forward for both of his runs since his debut. I am not sure how he will handle the ground. It all depends on how much rain will fall ahead of the race.
I finished second in this race 12 months ago on board Royal Scotsman. This horse could be just as good or even better than him.
This horse needs to bounce back from a disappointing run over this course and distance last time out, but prior to that he ran well at Ascot and he had some good form earlier in the season, including when fourth of 19 runners in the Ascot Stakes.
Stamina will not be a problem but based on his latest appearance, he is going to need to step up here if he is to be in the mix at the finish, in what is always a very competitive Cesarewitch.
He finished down the field at Sandown last month on his sole appearance this season. When you look at his form, he was third to Baaeed in the Juddmonte International in 2022, so he is clearly a talented horse.
He was off the track for a while following his trips to Riyadh and Meydan. Hopefully, he is over his problems now and he can step forward from that last run at Sandown.
Sunday
This filly has had just one outing so far. She failed to make an impression on the all-weather at Kempton last month. She is a well-bred filly but will need to show much more than she did on her debut on what will be her first start on turf.
He is a decent horse who should not mind any give under the foot. I suspect he will get that, as Goodwood is going to be run on ‘soft’ ground.
I rode him to victory at both Ripon and Haydock earlier in the campaign. He has not fared badly on his latest two appearances. I do think he is off a workable handicap mark here, so I am optimistic about a big run.
This horse loves soft ground. He was a non-runner at Windsor earlier in the week so we could go to Goodwood where conditions will suit him better. He was beaten by less than a length at Lingfield last time out. A repeat of that performance will see him go very close here in the finale on this card.
Jim
