Monday 10 October 2016

WINDSOR EIGHT, CROWLEY GREAT

Jim Crowley seemed to cement his place on the flat jockey’s wall of fame.

With barely a week to go until the flat season finale at Ascot, and with that the champion jockeys crown up for grabs, former national hunt jockey Jim Crowley seemed to cement his place on the flat jockey’s wall of fame.


Coming to the Royal Berkshire course the Ascot man with 141 winners, sixteen above the outgoing champ Silvestre De Sousa, Crowley steered home a double for the afternoon making it a near certainty if there is one for him to take the crown. 
With 300 hundred nation hunt winners, and the only ‘to be’ flat champion to have ridden in the Grand National, Crowley bought home Broadhaven Honey for Ed McMahon in the 2 year olds five-furlong nursery.
Crowley bought home Broadhaven Honey for Ed McMahon in the 2 year olds five-furlong nursery.

 ‘I’m just going to keep pressing on riding as many winners as I can, i have twelve rides today, and as Saturday comes and Ascot, then the enormity of what I have done will sink in.’ 

And not stopping is what this champion elect will do, four meetings over the next 48 hours, a trip to Redcar at the end of the week and then Ascot is what faces the jockey for the week. 

The Harbour Watch filly doing the job, at 7/1 running on gamely to beat Richard Hannon’s Fabric by ½ a length.

And to top it all the next race on William Haggas’s Ejeemi Crowley made all to take a steady win by 2 lengths from the favourite First Voyage.

Jumping out the stalls smartly the jockey soon had the three-year-old by Sahmaardal well in his stride for his one-mile voyage in the first division of the three year olds and upwards maiden stakes. 
Running up gamely on the stand size rail the jockey mentioning he was a nice horse that moved well and enjoyed the ground at Windsor.

And to top it all the next race on William Haggas’s Ejeemi Crowley made all to take a steady win by 2 lengths from the favourite First Voyage.

With rides up to the last at Windsor, a helicopter ride to Chelmsford and a 8.25PM clock off time, Jim Crowley would not be one to be said to be sitting on his laurels, the former Amateur turned jump jockey, now champion flat jockey certainly is working as hard as his two winners at Windsor’s penultimate flat meeting of the season.

Broadhaven Honey


















Ejeemi



















The second division of the mile maiden went to top weight Archery Peak, trained by Luca Cumani, the four-year-old by Arch out of a Fusaichi Pegasus mare shot to evens money favourite and only ever having three runs in his career, this lightly raced horse on paper looked the banker of the day.
Ridden by Adam Kirby who mentioned, ‘he is a nice type, but only a moderate sort of race really.’ 
Archery Peak,
Asked why the horse has been very light on the racecourse visits over his four years the jockey said. ‘I just ride them really, so best to ask the trainer on that one.’
 Says to me and with the evidence of the betting, the Newmarket trainer has seen something in this four-year-old that most cannot. One to watch me thinks.
 Says to me and with the evidence of the betting, the Newmarket trainer has seen something in this four-year-old that most cannot. One to watch me thinks.





Going back to the first race of the afternoon, the six furlongs two-year-old maiden stakes. Open wide trained by Amanda Perret, who indecently is the sister in law of Jim Crowley and who gave the champion his first rides under flat rules. Ran on well inside the final furlong to take the race by a length from Wedgwood Wonder, Founding Father the 5/2 favourite in third.



‘He is a very nice horse in the making, and has stuck his head out for me well there,’ mentioned the jockey Paul Maulrennan who last weekend at Chantilly was unlucky on the Nunthorpe winner, Meccas Angle in the Prix de l’abbaye, a possible entry in the champions sprint at Ascot this weekend.

The well bred two-year-old by Invincible Spirit out of an Indian Ridge mare in only his third run seems a nice type, and one that would look to improve as it rises into a three-year-old.
One for the notebooks again I feel for the new season.
Open wide
The three-year-old and upwards fillies and mares race was taken by 5/1 shot Invermere
Trained by Richard Fahey and ridden by Windsor debutante, 5 lbs claimer Adam McNamara, the Kyllachy filly was driven out in the final furlong to beat the favourite, Henry Candy’s Nicarra.

‘I was probably in front a little too soon,’ mentioned the jockey. ‘But she is a versatile type that has won her race well.’

Nicarra, Carp Diem Lady, Invermere
Asked what he thought of Windsor the young jockey said.’ Yeah I’ve enjoyed it, never been here before and it is always good when on a winner.’
With thirteen runs on a racecourse and three wins under her belt it would be safe to say you would have to watch how the handicapper reacts to the win, a favourable weight could see this filly race and win sooner rather than later.
Asked what he thought of Windsor the young jockey said.’ Yeah I’ve enjoyed it, never been here before and it is always good when on a winner.’
Charles Hill took the three year olds and upwards six-furlong handicap with Menai
The Dark Angle gelding at 6/1 went past the post four lengths in front of Jonathan Portman’s Equistar.
 Steve Drowne on board the horse who has disappointed the last few runs mentioned, ‘a flat track has suited him better today, he has always shown a bit at home really and I thought he would be a possible Britannia horse, but its probably he’s a back end horse over six furlongs that will pick up races.’




With two wins from ten starts the horse that has ran in some fair decent company maybe one to take heed of what his jockey has mentioned in the back stages of a season and the win at Windsor being an easier contest for the horse, could be out again soon, and one to watch.






Menai.
The conditions race for three year olds and upwards saw Beardwood a horse with indifferent form take the race by 1/2 a length from Priors Brook from the Andrew Balding yard.

The four-year-old by Dutch Art out of a Be My Guest mare ran a creditable fourth in the Cambridgeshire, but disappointed at Redcar nine days ago, ‘ it was a race that suited him,’ mentioned Adam Kirby on board,
‘Its certain you would get another win out of him to be sure.’
Priors Rock (Left) Beardwood ( right)
Trained in Middleham by Mark Johnston,the horse was driven out by Kirby in the final furlong to win well in the end, and look hopefully the type if the handicapper treats him well to win a few more contests.

Zodiakos the favourite meanwhile came in well tailed off, under Jim Crowley, trained by Hugo Palmer the three-year-old stepping down in class, looked a good thing for a treble for the champion elect, the report back being the Kodiac gelding was never going, would be one to watch though.

The last race of the afternoon went to the Newmarket yard of Marco Botti. 
Owned by the Heart of the South Racing and ridden by Martin Harley, Velvet Revolution battled out well with the favourite Tyrell from Alan Kings yard to take the tree year old one mile three-furlong handicap by a nose.

Tyrell (left) Velvet Revolution (Right)
‘The horse has a lot of heart and gelding him has certainly helped him, he is a nice stayer, his brother was the same.’
By Pivotal out of a Perugino mare now with one win from five starts looks a type that will be better for another winter, still not looking the full package, but one surly to watch from a trainer that will surly bite back from a fairly quite season behind him.

‘The horse has a lot of heart and gelding him has certainly helped him, he is a nice stayer, his brother was the same.’

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