THERE has been excitement about the re-opening of the track at Chelmsford City. It might not help the jump jockeys as it is an all-weather flat track but it has to be good for the sport.
They are looking to base their profits on the television viewing figures in China and Hong Kong. For riders, owners and trainers I am sure this will mean the prize money will be very healthy.
The track is aimed at people in the Asian markets and the money out there is unbelievable, especially in the betting. If that can be transferred to Chelmsford City, it could be a very wealthy track for good flat horses.
If they came up with the idea of targeting the Asian market when it was Great Leighs (the track was known by this name from its first opening in 2008 to its closure in 2009) others may have followed suit. Those involved with the track always knew what the eventual goal was but they had to do it the long way.
There are a lot of all-weather tracks around London. You would think that might not be healthy for the sport but those at Chelmsford have tried to use the new track to target the Asian market. Race times are even being set to maximise viewing figures there.
It’s a good plan but it might take time to get going. I just wish they would put an all-weather track in the north of England as well. I think there is interest in it.
Sprinter Sacre is making his first appearance in over a year at Ascot on Saturday (January 17). He has not had a race since pulling up in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton in December 2013.
Despite this, he goes into the race at Ascot as a short-priced favourite, which I find odd given he has not raced in so long. He was schooling recently and made a few errors. I feel Dodging Bullets offers a lot better value in the race, and that’s why it is one of my tips for the week ahead.
The start of the week for me was quite quiet. I had no rides on Monday and spent Tuesday at Sedgefield. It was one of those meetings shortly after Christmas where there are not very many in the stands.
I had a little more luck at Ludlow the following day. I had three rides booked and all three placed, including a winner.
Mighty Missile was my first ride of the day. It is a three-year-old that I had bought for the owners so it was a bit gutting to finish second — it would have been nice to ride a winner that I had bought.
I then rode a winner for Lucy Wadham when I was aboard Emral Silk. He is a really nice horse and I think he has a bright future ahead of him.
In the bumper I rode another horse for Lucy and finished third aboard Ruby Rambler. The horse ran a blinder to place.
The day was not without incident though, as two jockeys took the wrong course in the amateur race.
The two should have finished first and second but instead finished third and fourth and were hit with a 21-day ban. I thought that was a little harsh as a ban of that length could last six months for an amateur.
I spent Sunday at a local point-to-point that is run every year in aid of the Air Ambulance. Over 1,200 attended, proving you don’t need multi-million pound facilities to draw a crowd.
