sheikh, troy, chubby & BRYONY.

​After Royal Ascot I wrote in praise of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum for his policy of keeping horses in training beyond their 3-year-old careers as I do not believe horses should retire to stud at that age with laurel wreaths of greatness around their name. Rosallion will race on next season, as will Inisherin. Bravo. In my eyes, though, he has blotted his copybook by removing all his horses from Roger Varian, dispersing them to who knows where. Karl Burke, perhaps.
It is, of course, an owner’s prerogative to have his horses trained by whom he likes and every owner has his or her own agenda. The sheikh is an owner who likes to captain his own ship, apparently, and doubtless he has issued an order to Varian that Varian profoundly disagreed with and has suffered the indignity of having 19-horses – I believe that is the number- removed from his stable. I admire a trainer who sticks to his guns and sucks up the consequences. I only wish both parties would offer the public the ins and outs of the spat that results in such parting of the waves
When it comes to Roger Varian, I never understood why he parted ways with Andrea Atzeni in favour of David Egan, a fine rider, though young and inexperienced. Atzeni seemed a good stable jockey, much admired by many other trainers. And, of course, Varian has lost Egan to Amo and has no number one jockey, which for a stable of his strength must be a slight weakness, given his preferred jockey, James Doyle, is retained by Wathnan and is increasingly unavailable to him. Egan may be back next season as no one jockey has yet been able to hold down the retained position to Amo and Egan’s record in his first season attached to Amo is no better than either of his predecessors, Rossa Ryan who has blossomed since going freelance and Kevin Stott who is working his butt off to get back to the top flight without as yet achieving the forward motion he would wish for his career.

Tomorrow in the City of York (place not race) we will be able to make a concise judgement on whether City of Troy still has the potential to become Ballydoyle’s best horse since Istabraq. Bigged-up by Aidan and the Coolmore ‘lads’ since before he set foot on a racecourse, time this season is running out for City of Troy to do a ‘Frankel’ to justify his lofty reputation. Of course, it might be worth crossing our collective fingers that he gets beat at York – beat, that is, without Aidan having a leg to stand-on when it comes to making an excuse for him – as that might persuade ‘the lads’ to keep him in training as a 4-year-old, which they have done with mixed results with Auguste Rodin.
I would be surprised if City of Troy trounced his rivals tomorrow but not surprised if he were to win. I would also not be surprised if he were to be beaten. By whom? Ghostwriter might be the one, following in the footsteps of Arabian Queen who also uptipped the apple-cart in a Juddmonte International.

Sad to see Ropey Guest has been retired by George Margarson after finishing ‘sore’ after his last run. Best known for being a gallant runner-up rather than for an impressive win-ratio, he was a horse with a following and I dare say when he leaves Newmarket for the last time there will be many a tear shed by members both of Margarson’s family and his staff. There will never be another ‘chubby’.

I was a little bewildered to see Bryony’s name next to her father’s runners at Newton Abbot at the 4-day declarations. I sort of hope she is riding for her father in preparation to returning to France to continue her association with the double green of Isaac Souede and Simon Munir and her appearance in the West Country is to prove his fitness after breaking her collar-bone. I am stretched between wanting her to succeed in France to the point she may not return to these shores to continue her career and desperately wanting her back here as she is a light upon which the sport could sell this sport to the public at large.
With her record of big race successes, she deserves greater opportunities both on a daily basis and on the biggest of stages. The ride she gave Il Ridoto at Cheltenham last season when nabbed at the finishing line was proof if it were needed that she remains a force as a National Hunt jockey. Also remember her winning at the Grand National meeting. On those two horses she achieved more than Harry Cobden who rode them more often she did, not that I am knocking ‘Hollywood Harry’, as he is a fine horseman and jockey.
At this moment in the sport’s history, we need to harvest every glimmer of hope possible and Bryony, adored, I would suggest, by the public, is an asset that is going to waste for one outrageous reason which has nothing to do with her ability in the saddle or her win-to-loss ration in the major races. The sport needs her, the sport needs Paul Nicholls to give her better opportunities and the sport needs other trainers to look to her when spare rides are available both a daily basis and in the important races where racing holds the sporting spotlight. Other female jockeys also need to be given greater opportunities. You only have to recall the Shergar Cup for proof of what I am saying – give them competitive rides and females can win just as often as their male counterparts.