Jim Crowley: “I think Zanbaq has a great chance”

Jim Crowley previews his Ascot rides plus the King George

It’s a massive week in the season, with King George day at Ascot followed by my favourite week of the year, the Qatar Goodwood Festival. 

There are several reasons why I love Glorious Goodwood. It’s my local track so my family are often there to support me, while the quality of the racing means it’s an important week for the Shadwell team.

Also, I’ve enjoyed a lot of success, and luck, there over the years, winning plenty of the big races, so hopefully that will continue next week!

It will be strange going there without Battaash, who’s been such a star in recent years, but I do have another Shadwell horse beginning with B to look forward to!

Baaeed will head to the Sussex Stakes as hot favourite, and rightly so, and while I’m not yet convinced by comparisons to Frankel, we are following the same route as that superstar, coming here after wins in the QE II, Lockinge and Queen Anne.

If he comes through next Wednesday’s test, the plan is then to step him up in trip in the Juddmonte International – again as Frankel did – but that’s all for the future.

Ascot 2.25 – Zanbaq

My first ride of the day is on Zanbaq in the Group 3 Valiant Stakes. I think she was a little bit unlucky at Royal Ascot, where she ran a cracking race to finish second. We had to sit a little bit further back early on than I wanted to, we then had to wait for a run, and finally we got a little bump close to the finish line.