Scudamore says: “Mountain King has some decent bits of form”

In the 4.55 I’m om Amalfi Dug. He looks like he has a lot to find on his bumper form. It’s my first ride for Tom Lacey so hopefully he can run well and we can make a good new connection, but on all known form he’s got to improve.

I will try and watch some of the races from Champions Day at Ascot, but realistically with five rides tomorrow, I’ll watch most of it back in the evening. I really want to see Found against Almanzor, and I enjoy watching all the big flat races. The Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe is my favourite flat race of the year.

“The ground and the conditions should suit Next Sensation”

On Sunday I’m riding Next Sensation at Kempton for my brother and I think he’ll win again. The ground and the conditions should suit him. The trip is two miles and two furlongs which I think will be absolutely ideal. He’s not the horse he was but the handicapper has been fair on him, and a horse he beat has since come out and won. He will probably have to step up a bit on what he achieved at Newton Abbot last time but I think the course and trip will suit him. He’s been put up 5lbs so would he have won last time with an additional 5lbs? I don’t know. But given the conditions will be in his favour on Sunday I’m optimistic. I think he’ll be hard to beat.

It’s his first run at Kempton. We haven’t really gone right handed that much with him. A lot of the races at Kempton just didn’t fall right for him. We couldn’t run in the conditions races because he wasn’t good enough to take on the likes of Sire De Grugy and Sprinter Sacre, while his handicap mark was always too high for the 0-140s and 0-135s that Kempton stages. So now he has been able to get into a race there I’m really looking forward to riding him at the track. He isn’t the horse he was but he’s still very good, and he’s been a star for us.

He gave me the best day of my career winning on him at the Cheltenham Festival for my brother. I don’t think there will be anything I ever do that will give me the pleasure that that day did. It was phenomenal.

I’m looking forward to Cheltenham next week. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Thistlecrack could go there depending on the ground. He’s ready to go and we just need the conditions for him. I don’t know what David Pipe has planned to run there but it will also be ground dependent. He’s been a bit quiet just because of the ground as so many stables have been. We have some lovely horses ready to go and we just need some rain.

Tom

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