Jamie Spencer gives his verdict on six strong rides at York

Winning the Victoria Cup on Saturday on Speculative Bid was great. He’s a good horse. He’s gone up another 10lbs for winning the race but he’s improving very fast and he was scintillating on Saturday. It’s a thrill riding a winner of a big handicap. A lot happens very quickly. He was last at the two furlong pole and he was in front at the furlong pole, so you need a lot of luck to be able to weave your way through. The luck went my way on Saturday but when you’re travelling well it seems to happen a lot slower than it looks watching on TV.

David Elsworth is a horseman first and foremost and when I went out he said that the ground might be an issue but as we were racing uphill it might be ok – generally when the ground is firm it’s racing downhill that causes the damage. So he told me to see how he was handling it and if the horse wasn’t liking it and wasn’t performing don’t be too hard on him, but if the horse is going well then take it as it comes.  I thought he would run a big race as he was at the right end of the weights and I didn’t think he got to show himself in his best light at Kempton the time before.

David was thrilled with the win because it’s been a long road with the horse. He got injured last May and it took a long time to get him back. He’s improved significantly since his first win, and I think when the ground’s on the soft side you’ll see a way better horse.

Today I ride Edmaaj in the first at York at 2.10pm for JP McManus. I’m going for the job! He’s had quite a long time off. He did well for David O’Meara a couple of seasons ago. It’s probably a watching brief for him. I think this is a very, very good race. Whatever Mahsoob has done in a previous life he obviously did something bad to whoever hands out the draws at the BHA because he was drawn out in the car park last time at Newbury and he’s the same again today. He looked a horse full of promise last time and I think it will take a while for the handicapper to catch up with him. Satellite was disappointing late on last season but he’s been gelded since and has the hood back on so could be a well handicapped horse if William Haggas has got him settled down over the winter.

I’m on Bogart in the 2.40pm. He has good track form. He ran well at Beverley on his first start this year coming third. Hopefully he’s improved a little bit and off a mark of 94 he’s well handicapped on his old form. He looks to have a great chance. I thought Polybius would be the danger if fully fit but some of David Lanigan’s have improved for their first run so the fact that Bogart has had a run should give him a good chance in this. You can put a line through Blaine’s last run. He’s run twice at Newmarket and come last both times. The ground was too quick last time so he’s back on easier ground here. Amy Ryan gets on really well with him, much better than I do. I could get a donkey to run faster than I can get Blaine to run!