As 2021 rolls into 2022, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on some of the best moments from the past year and look forward to the exciting events that await me in the year to come.
As far as brilliant moments go, it will be hard to top the Queen Mother Champion Chase win at Cheltenham riding Put The Kettle On. She was fantastic that day and to get up late like we did, made it feel even more special.
Another mare who has given me special memories is Epatante. Although we dead-heated in the Fighting Fifth, it was great to see her run at a level somewhere near her best and I’m looking to her taking me to all the big Grade 1 races in 2022.
Talking of 2022, my aim is to ride as many Grade 1’s as possible – I’m definitely more about quality over quantity. I would also love to ride more winners at Cheltenham, as there’s just no feeling like it. Jonbon will be a big talking horse in March, and I hope he can carry on progressing through to the Spring festivals.
One objective I’ve really set my sights on is winning the Grand National, and I might have a decent chance this year with the loveable grey Snow Leopardess. She was brilliant in the Becher Chase over the national fences in December, so let’s hope we get to Aintree in one piece and have a good go on the big day.
Hoping for Lots of Winners Over a Busy Period
Back to the present though, and I’m mainly focused on riding as many winners as I can at this busy period. Obviously, the situation isn’t perfect at the moment with some events being held behind closed doors, but I’m just focusing on myself for now and I’ll let the powers that be get on with making sure we’re all in the best position to go racing.
Tomorrow I’m riding Martello Sky in the 12:40 at Sandown, which looks a good opportunity as she’s a consistent mare who goes well on most tracks. She’s won two out of her three starts this season and I’m hoping we can get another win on the board in this race.
Look out for me later on in the 1:50 where I’ll be riding Gunsight Ridge. I’m expecting it to be a competitive race – he’s a very experienced horse and we were actually quite surprised to get beaten last time out at Exeter. The horse that beat us, L’Homme Press, has gone on to win a Grade 2 race at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, so although we were a bit perplexed about the result at the time, on reflection we were beaten by a very good horse. There’s rain forecast for overnight tonight, but we’ll be hoping for it to hold off to give us the best possible chance and get another positive result.
