Public Jockey Criticism - Whatever Next?

All Thoughts Are My Own.

Oh dear. Social media was set alight by horse racing standards after Luck On Sunday when renowned Newmarket trainer William Haggas spoke about Champion jockey Oisin Murphy saying “He is an outstanding rider, but he’s got away with blue murder on the racecourse for a while”. That made many people sit up and take notice (I cannot remember anything similar in all my years in racing), and his statement was clarified by Haggas continuing with “There was an example that really, really upset me. I've been very upset over the past few years with the professional foul that jockeys do; that sort of leaning across a horse and then pulling the stick through and winning by a length.

“But if you are on a bicycle in a bicycle race and you have to stop suddenly, then you can't actually get going again. The incident mentioned involved when Murphy won on Corinth at Newcastle before losing the race in the Stewards room when the suggestion is the door was closed as his rival looked for a run up the rail but isn’t that something that happens on a daily basis? I do understand the safety issues but racing is a tough old sport so where do we draw the line – for me, tactical (but NOT dangerous) jockeyship is all part and parcel of the sport – and I don’t see Oisin as any more guilty than anyone else – perhaps he is just better at it?

Moving on, and anyone who backed the 200/1 and 100/1 winers on Champions Day at Ascot won’t be reading this – they will be sat on a sunbed in somewhere particularly luxurious. Seriously though, I have always felt that the meeting is not as top-notch as others say, being held at the end of a long hard season, but better ground in 2025 persuaded me to give them the benefit of the doubt. It isn’t sour grapes by any stretch of the imagination, but they did not go off at those prices because the formbook suggested they had any chance, and you have to question why? Starting with the bigger priced Powerful Glory, his last run saw him come home last of five in a Class Two at Beverley when described as “never dangerous”, and he was officially rated 20lb inferior to the runner-up who only had to give him 1lb. That said, it was only his fourth run of the year and his second since May, while the second was having his sixth run and the third his ninth, so perhaps my “long hard season” view isn’t a million miles away from the truth in this case? 100/1 shot Cicero’s Gift was rated 11lb inferior to The Lion In Winter at these weights, and 17lb inferior to favour Field of Gold yet he still won by a length and a quarter. That was his sixth start of the season so there goes my theory in this case, ditto the runner-up, but he had been competing at a lower level which may have been less arduous. I don’t have the answer (I wish I did), but if my memory holds (unlikely) I will be remembering this next year and possibly not bothering to have a bet!  

More controversy next with Cheltenham considering moving the March Festival from Tuesday to Friday to Wednesday to Saturday. I can see. Why some are up in arms as this is a change to tradition, but so was adding an extra day 20 years ago, and we all love that as it gives us more opportunities to lose money! Seriously though, it makes little to no difference to me (though it may upset the courses who normally hold their meetings on the Saturday who will see their crowds reduced), but I do have to wonder why? I guess the theory is that Saturday is not a workday for the majority of the population so they can increase the numbers attending, but are they using a sticking plaster on a gaping wound? I feel (and it’s a personal opinion) that entry fees, food and drink prices, and the cost of local accommodation is a far bigger issue, and as they have taken note of customer congestion last year, why do they think more people is the answer? I do appreciate they can do very little about the hotels making the most of the opportunity (its business I suppose), but reducing drink prices even further, making the run of the mill food (not the hospitality boxes and restaurants) better value for money, and proving better value four day passes for the entire meeting may be the way forward, but only time will tell I suppose.

To end with, controversy in Ireland with the HRI enforcing the rules at Naas and not bowing to the power of Ballydoyle who wanted to swap jockeys. In brief, Aidan O’Brien and Co tried to change jockeys after Saratoga got a starting spot in the handicap as one of the reserves after others pulled out last minute.  The rules say no, and it has caused (yet another) social media storm with some saying it should be allowed – and me saying it should not! One of the many things I look at before placing a bet is whether the declared jockey has ridden the horse before, preferably successfully. That can and does affect my final decision before I place my bets, and the argument that I would know in advance of the changes before having a punt doesn’t hold water. Chasing losses is something I grew out of decades ago, so all my bets, win or lose, are placed on the morning of the race, in this case hours before any changes would have been made had they been allowed, though as with everything else in this great sport, I do see the other side of the coin – despite disagreeing with it. 

On to the racing – but if you fancy watching the new look podcast here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc3Zc6ipSxA feel free – even if I have got a face that is made for radio. 

Saturday racing

Newbury 2.00pm

We start the weekend off with a seven furlong Listed race for fillies, but I will admit I am very wary of what the real going will be like by the off thanks to inclement weather, with soft the latest report and the ground I will be working with. Richard Hannon trained the winner in 2022 and he has two entered here, but if the official handicapper has the ratings right, they both have plenty to find. Senorita Vega is the form pick having finished third in the Group Three Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket last time out, and she does have a won on good to soft ground over course and distance to her name, while Leading Dancer impressed to get off the mark at the second attempt when making all at Newcastle and with breeding that suggests she could handle the softer surface. It’s a tough one to call, but I will give an each way chance to Ed Bethell’s Caim, who won her only start to date when travelling well before going three lengths clear at Beverley on soft ground. Sent off at 10/1 that day I am convinced there is improvement to come, with her trainer stating “I never expect a horse to win first time out” backing up my argument, and although she may not be running for a household name stable, she could be the surprise package here.

Doncaster 2.05pm

Heavy ground is the potential issue here when it comes to the vast majority of those bred in the purple, but this is still a Group One and has seen winners such as Auguste Rodin in 2022, making this a race to note regardless of the underfoot conditions. Aidan O’Brien has won four of the last eight runnings and he will be represented by Hawk Mountain, Benvenuto Cellini and Action in 2025. The early betting suggesting the first named was their number one pick but there has been some serious money to change all that Thursday morning with the son of Frankel being backed as if defeat is not an option. Second on his debut at the Curragh, he won his maiden at Killarney before moving up in class to win the Group Two KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown by an impressive five lengths. He can make the running if needed but is adaptable and can race from off the pace, and with success on good to yielding last time out there is hope he can handle the going, though I am less convinced. At the odds (both skinny to be fair), I will side with stable companion Hawk Mountain, who also won a Group Two last time it when successful in the Beresford Stakes at the Curragh, but more importantly that was on soft to yielding which may prove key. Barring team Ballydoyle changing tactics (the great unknown), I can see him making all here as he did last time out and drawing the finish out of his rivals on the expected atrocious surface.    

Doncaster 2.40pm

A six furlong Listed race is next and as we have seen winners priced as short as 4/7 (2015) and as large as 20/1 (2016), it seems like all things are possible. None of these two-year-old have ever raced on ground as testing as this which makes this a bit of a guessing game to be completely honest, but Lam Yai does have the best form after finishing a neck second in the Group Three Firth Of Clyde Stakes at Ayr on soft ground last time out, keeping on over the six furlongs which ticks a box in a race where stamina may come into play. For those looking for a bigger priced play, I was tempted by Quarter, who scored over a furlong further on soft ground at Brighton before a weakening third over the Brighton mile, and if I am feeling greedy, I may even have a very small reverse forecast for the fun of it.

Cheltenham 2.55pm

I am not actually focussing my attentions on Cheltenham today as I prefer to wave a fond farewell to the Flat, but I can’t resist a three mile handicap hurdle so I have had a look at the Pertemps qualifier – wish me luck, I’ll need it. With only 16 runnings I am going in for a dig to see whether any patterns emerge and the first thing I noticed was all of the winners had a starting price of 20/1 or shorter with all of them coming from the first 10 in the market, though that may be partly down to field size. 15 of the 16 were aged nine of younger so perhaps not one for the veterans, and although four-year-olds have tried to win this, not one has been successful yet. 15 were rated 125 or above according to the handicapper, and 15 were rated 145 or lower, and that is where the statistics end.

Using current odds (I don’t have a choice), then I can cut through the original 18 runners to a new shortlist of 10 – not a lot of use but a starting point if nothing else. My next port of call is the trainers, and only two of those on the new list have taken this before, Gordon Elliott (Sermandzarak and Winning Smut) took this last year with 9/2 chance The Wallpark, but the Hobbs yard look the ones to focus on. They housed Templer (17/2) who won the first running in 2009 and Golden Doyen (11/1) in 2016 plus two others who placed, which points me in the direction of Tiny Tetley each way. His run of form in the spring of three wins and a neck second see him forced to race off a career high mark of 136 this afternoon, but he has placed on his first start in each of his two seasons suggesting he can go well after a break, and with Callum Pritchard claiming 5lb from the saddle and yet to finish out of the first two when on board the seven-year-old gelding, he will do for me in a conundrum of a contest.

Newbury 3.10pm

I have always liked the Horris Hill Stakes over seven furlongs for no particular reason but liking it and finding the winner are not the same thing. I always suspected we would see a small field this year and so it has proved with just the seven set to race – no each way the first three then. Time To turn heads the early markets for Charlie Appleby and William Buick after wins at Wolverhampton and the Ascot before his eight of nine in the Group One Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp but was it the class or the softer surface that found him out, that is the big question. If it was the class then he could well come home in front, but I am wary that was not the case and will look elsewhere for some value. Pandemonium has done nothing wrong so far, winning by close to four lengths on soft at Yarmouth and doubling up with a two length success at Redcar on good to soft, so there is every reason to think he will handle the ground as well as or better than most. He is taking a big step up in grade from a Class Four Novice to this Group Three event, but this was his nominated target straight after his latest victory, and if he makes all on this ground, the quicker horses may struggle to peg him back.

Newbury 3.45pm

In a race won by Max Vega for the last two years trainer Ralph Beckett will hope he has found his successor with Starzintheireyes and Revoir both representing the stable, while William Haggas and Andrew Balding have both won this twice in the last eight years and they run Hamish and Al Aasy, and Mount Atlas respectively. I admit I lost my money on Hamish last time out when the nine-year-old was only third at Ascot, and it may be that retirement beckons, but he has won better races than this, loves the softer surface unlike some, is yet to finish out of the first three in four visits to this track with one win in April 2024, and with any luck, he can go it with a bang in the hope they then retire him with a lifetime of jogging round a field to look forward to.

Sean’s suggestion:

Caim 2.00pm Newbury