Ascot
12.55pm
Pym
It’s great for his owners to have two such good horses running on the same card, though Altior just about shades Pym at the moment! But Pym showed what a good novice hurdler he was on a few occasions last season, and I was very happy with his chasing debut at Huntingdon. That came after a long break and he definitely needed it, so we will see a sharper horse here, and I think the step up in trip will suit, too. He just scrapes into this 0-135 with a mark of 137 as well, and I think that is workable.
2.05pm
Altior
Altior stepping up in trip has been coming for a while. In fact, we were talking about it this time last year. But we all are happy to try it now – and that all-round agreement was vital – and this horse has never dodged a challenge in his life, even though it is human nature, I suppose, to play it safe, stick to what you know, and look to preserve that unbeaten run over 2m.
But we are all looking forward to seeing what he can do.
We are fully aware that Paul Nicholls will have Cyrname primed for this, and it is pretty obvious that their game plan will be to test us on a course which their horse has excelled at.
But it is tremendously exciting to think what will happen if our boy has stamina to go with his speed.
And he certainly has the latter, all right. I rode him in a piece of work over ten furlongs with two very good horses and benchmarks recently – and we went a true gallop – and he fairly shot clear. I wasn't that surprised, as he has done that before, but it was still very pleasing to see the fire was still burning, all the same.
He has done plenty of schooling, and he has been as straight and true and ever, so we go there in great nick.
As I always say, this is a public horse and there is nothing to new to comment upon really, especially as none of us truly know whether he can do it over this longer trip against a horse like Cyrname.
But these are the days, going into the unknown with a top-class race horse, that you look forward to as a sportsman. If Cyrname beats us, then he will have earned all the plaudits he will get.
2.40pm
Call Me Lord
I stepped in successfully for Daryl on Top Notch at Aintree recently, so let’s hope Call Me Lord can prove an equally willing partner. He certainly looks to have very strong form claims here, especially as he doesn’t carry a penalty, and his 2018 form – notably his runaway Sandown win for me – makes him the one to beat at these weights. His record does suggest he is a better for a reappearance run, but I am expecting a big performance all the same. He is a very talented hurdler.
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