Lots of racing around this weekend, with some big races in Deauville on Sunday, where the Prix Jacques Le Marois will be run with Richard Fahey’s Ribchester set to try to turn the tables on Galileo Gold. Fahey is confident everything is in Ribchester’s favour, he’s in good form and the track will suit him. This is set to be another great race between these two fine horses. Hugo Palmer, Galileo Gold’s trainer is also confident he will firing on all cylinders on Sunday after his last run out at Goodwood where he was defeated by Aidan O’Brien’s The Gurkha.
Congratulations to Frankie Detorri for his 3000 race wins, which he passed yesterday at Newmarket in front of his family and friends. Riding John Gosden’s Predilection, the 45-year-old vowed to keep going as long as he could. Detorri is the sixth jockey to pass the momentous total and hopes to catch up to Doug Smiths total of 3,111. Willie Carson is the fourth person with 3,800 wins which Detorri doesn’t think he will be able to beat. Well done Frankie on such a great achievement.
Heading to Ripon now for the William Hill Great St Wilfred Stakes this afternoon, where Richard Fahey has three horses running. Kicking off at 3.55 over six furlongs, there are twenty runners and riders today. Fahey's horses are Alben Star, Nuno Tristan and Tatlisu. Alben Star had a disappointing last run out at Goodwood, Fahey thinks he may be a bit rusty from his rest, but today he is nowhere near the top four favourites with the bookies. Alben Star starts with odds of 22/1 with Coral today.
Favourite in today’s race is David Nicholls Orion’s Bow and rightly so, last time out at Goodwood he only managed second place, but previous to that he had won his last five races in a row. Today’s odds are 5/1 with William Hill. Second favourite is another David Nicholls horse Kimbrella, who also ran at Goodwood with Orion’s Bow but only made thirteenth place, which really doesn’t do him any justice, previous to that run out he had been in good form with a first place at York and runners-up at Chester and The Curragh. Odds on Kimbrella today are 9/1 with Paddy Power.
Back tomorrow with a run-down of riders at Deauville.
Good Luck today.