Tom Scudamore: “On ratings Ramses De Teillee should be the favourite”
Published:
Coral ambassador previews Saturday’s rides
12.20 Doncaster – Golden Jeffrey
He is having his first race for David Pipe. Unfortunately, he has lost his way a bit over the last year or so but hopefully he can bounce back here. He has had wind surgery since his last outing so hopefully that has helped him ahead of his return to action.
14.05 Doncaster – Ramses De Teillee
He is the highest-rated horse in the race and won impressively at Cheltenham earlier in the season.
You can make a lot of excuses about his last run where the ground was atrocious at Cheltenham. He wasn’t actually beaten by that far either.
Doncaster will suit him and on ratings he should be favourite in the race. It wouldn’t be the strongest of Grade Two races of all time, while he has had a wind-op since his last run.
The Grand National has been his target all season and that remains the case but it will be nice to pick up a nice race along the way.
15.50 Doncaster – Saturn ‘n Silk
He ran better than his finishing position suggests on his first start at Aintree. We are hopeful that he can build upon that here now he knows what it is all about.
Don’t Rule Johnson Out of Jockeys’ Title
I feel for Richard Johnson who broke his arm earlier this week at Exeter. It is National Hunt racing and it happens to us all from time to time.
I know he is going to be off the track for around a month, but I think everybody has been a bit quick to write him off him the Jockeys’ Championship. He doesn’t know himself how long he is going to be out for.
Lizzie Kelly broke her arm in the winter and was back within a month. Every injury is different and from the sounds of it, it was a pretty clean break. If the prognosis is correct, he will be back before Cheltenham.
As things stand Brian Hughes has to be the favourite but I wouldn’t be writing off Dickie just yet. He has some great rides at the Festival with Native River and Thyme Hill to look forward to so I am sure he will be desperate to be back for those.
Tom
