Jim Crowley “I wouldn’t swap Maqsad for anything”

Battaash

When Battaash is good, he’s very good, and last weekend he was brilliant!  I said in last week’s blog that he was a more relaxed horse this year, and everything went to plan at Haydock, I was able to drop him in a little bit at the start – which isn’t always easy on him – and ride a race on him.  He’s also a lot more forward in his coat this year compared to last, when he got beat at Ascot last year it didn’t suit him to make the running, but I also felt the horse was not in his best form.  This year he certainly seems to be, and if he stays in that form for the Royal meeting, and Charlie’s [Hills] horses are in great form, he’s the one they’ll have to beat in the King’s Stand Stakes.

Even though I was able to ride more of a race on him, it’s still the case that when he goes, he takes you with him!  He’s a remarkable horse, the other jockeys in the race were saying to me afterwards they couldn’t believe that they were flat out and my fellow was still at half pace, and we’re talking about proper Group One horses, Mabs Cross, Alpha Delphini, he made them look ordinary.

For some reason he never runs his race at York [in the Nunthorpe] so we might bypass that this year, unless it came up soft, but the King’s Stand is the important one we want to win, and after that there’s Goodwood again, where he’s won the last two years, and the Abbaye in the autumn.

Friday rides

4.30 Epsom (Investec Oaks) – Maqsad

As you’d expect I’m really looking forward to riding Maqsad in the Investec Oaks.  She’s drawn well in five, so we’ll have Medhaayih outside us, and although it’s a mile and a half, the draw is important at Epsom.  You don’t want to be drawn very low, one or two, as you have to work hard to get a good position, but five should be fine.  Although there are 14 runners, realistically there are probably only 5 or 6 that can win it, so traffic problems could be an issue, we’re just hoping for a clear run round.