Soft going can turn formbook on its head ahead of quest at the festival

For many people, especially in Yorkshire, the four days are one of the highlights of the year.

On Monday – in a special column inside your free Yorkshire Post Ebor Festival special supplement– I will outline my chances over the first two days of the festival.

Next Friday, I will talk about that day’s racing as well as the first Saturday running of the Betfred Ebor.

There is certainly going to be some fantastic racing, with the Group 1 Juddmonte International – which at £700,000 is the richest race ever to run on Knavesmire – and the Group 1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks on the first two days. Both of those races, plus two others later in the week, comprise part of the inaugural Qipco British Champions Series.

In the meantime, I remain focussed on the racing over the next few days which I’m happy to say doesn’t take me too far away from home territory.

It is Newcastle for me this afternoon before coming back to Catterick Bridge in the evening.

I think that I might have quite a tough time today searching out more winners to enhance my lead in the jockeys’ championship, especially with the heavy rain in recent days. Soft conditions can often turn the formbook inside out.

My better prospects come at Catterick this evening.

Trainer Sir Michael Stoute sends Floral Beauty north from his Newmarket stables for the maiden race at 7.25pm. The filly didn’t run as a two-year-old and arrives in North Yorkshire after being placed in her only two races at Ascot and Newbury.

Travelling so far for the race would suggest she must have a decent chance.

Blown It is running up a little sequence for new trainer Keith Dalgleish. I have won on the horse twice this month already. If this handicap – at 8pm – isn’t coming too quick after his most recent races, then he’d have a good opportunity of continuing his run of form.

Saturday afternoon sees me riding at Ripon. Again, I’m wary of making too many firm predictions, simply because of the softer going that invariably follows from this disappointing summer.

In the handicap race at 2.55pm, my stable colleague, apprentice jockey Lee Topliss, takes the ride on Extraterrestrial because Richard Fahey is keen to lift a few pounds off the back of the horse.

Instead, I ride for Sir Henry Cecil for only the third time in my career. I’m one win from two for Sir Henry to date, so I hope to score again with Diescentric who finished mid-division in a handicap at the Dante Festival at York three months ago.

Abdicate is another with chances for me in the 4.40pm race. She is a bit keen in her races, but has two victories to her name this season, and can be forgiven her performance at Glorious Goodwood as she got stuck on the outside of the pack.

When the weekend is over, we’ll be that bit closer to the start of the Ebor Festival and I can’t wait.

I’ll be going all out to try to be the Sky Bet-supported leading jockey at the festival when this year’s races offer approaching £2.75m in prize-money.

While my attention will be very much on my horses and the races, there will be many other attractions for visitors. I’m told that Jeff Banks will be there with Debenhams for the first UK running of Fashion on the Field. There’ll be prizes of a trip to Dubai from Marriott Hotels on Ladies’ Day on Thursday and a holiday in St Vincent on Saturday. There’s also an aerial display by the RAF Falcons parachute display team on Thursday.

Bring it on!

The next racing at York is the four-day Ebor Festival from Wednesday to Saturday August 17-20. Daily admission prices range from £8 to £52. Great value three-day and four-day badges start from £17 and £22 for the Course Enclosure up to £135 and £175 in the County Stand.

Further details on www.yorkracecourse.co.uk or by calling 01904 620911.