Jim Crowley blog: ‘The Derby entry could be a realistic aim’

The latest Jim Crowley blog sees the jockey and Coral ambassador share his thoughts on his rides at Sandown on Friday.

I’m delighted that Israr remains in training as a 5-y-o, as he’s a bit of a favourite now, with his biggest win to date coming at Newmarket last summer [Princess Of Wales’s Stakes]. He ran well to finish second in Bahrain on his final ride last year, but in Qatar in February he just didn’t run any sort of race, so I’m happy to put a line through that, he just didn’t fire at all.

He’s not run here before, but I’m sure Sandown will suit him, he’s versatile in terms of trip and going, so a mile and a quarter on good ground poses no problems. This is a competitive Group 3, but he’s proven at a higher level than this, so I’d be hopeful he can run a big race and set himself up for another productive campaign.

Isar betting odds: 10/3

I rode this horse on his debut, when he was a good winner at Doncaster, and he followed that up when finishing third in a Listed contest at the same track. Both those runs were over seven furlongs, and I think he’ll really enjoy this step up in trip, certainly his breeding says he will too.

He gave me a lovely feel on that first run, and I’m not surprised he has the Derby entry, I know Owen [Burrows] rates him that highly, and so do I, I think a lot of him, and based on his recent homework as well, I think Epsom could be a realistic aim. This is a Classic trial, and the Godolphin colt [Arabian Crown] is a leading Derby contender according to the odds, so we’ll find out plenty here. He’s done everything well at home leading up to this, and I do think he’s a horse who could have a big season.

War Rooms betting odds: 6/1

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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication.