Tom Scudamore thinks Thistlecrack is the real deal

All went well with my appeal on Thursday which meant that I’m able to ride today. They quashed the ban which was a big relief as it means I can ride over the Christmas period. It was disappointing that I got given the ban in the first place by the Stewards on the day but at least the right decision has been reached in the end. You never can really be sure that an appeal will be successful but after speaking to Rory MacNeice, he convinced me that under the letter of the law in terms of the rules that are in place I had done nothing wrong.

Last Saturday was a success as I went to Lingfield and rode a double. Yes of course it would have been nice to ride two winners at Cheltenham instead but that wasn’t going to happen so that was the end of it. I don’t care where I ride as long as I’m riding winners really.  It was good to get Gevrey Chambertin back on track and hopefully it will do his confidence the world of good and get him back on the winning trail.

I feel very sorry for what happened to Sam Twiston-Davies. It was just terribly bad luck. Two horses swerving in the space of three days. I personally don’t think it has anything to do with his riding style. I know he apologised but I didn’t feel he needed to. It wasn’t intentional. He hadn’t dropped his hands in a finish or taken the wrong course. It was just unfortunate and one of those things that happens. I don’t care if you are Lester Piggott, Fred Archer, Gordon Richards and Tony McCoy all rolled into one you wouldn’t have stayed on those horses when they change direction and slow down at that speed. It’s impossible.

I ride Kings Lad in the 1.15pm at Ascot for Colin Tizzard. He won a couple of chases last year and has been running well enough but this is a tough little race. He’s been struggling off this mark recently. He’s been running well without winning off it. Hopefully his luck will change tomorrow.

In the 1.50pm I’m on La Vaticane for David. She’s done little wrong since coming over from France. She ran well at Cheltenham and then ran even better at Newbury just fading from the last fence. I think the 2m 2f will really suit her today. I think she has a favourite’s chance. Ascot should suit, she’s pretty straightforward. Everything is in her favour. Sometimes with these nice horses from France everything clicks straightaway like it did with Dell ‘Arca but I remember riding a horse called Iris Bleu for Martin a few years ago and it took us a year to work him out. Then suddenly he went from looking like an expensive flop to being a very good horse. You never can tell, but sometimes it does take a while for a horse to acclimatise.