Don’t miss Unibet ambassador Nico de Boinville’s latest column as he discusses his Cheltenham Gold Cup ride on Might Bite
Nico de Boinville is already a Gold Cup winning jockey and he explains what it's like heading into the Cheltenham Gold Cup with a good chance on Might Bite.
"Read the thoughts of four-time Champion Trainer Nicky Henderson and stable jockey Nico de Boinville exclusively at Unibet each week throughout the Jump Season. Unibet are an award-winning sports betting and casino operator with over 16 million customers, and proud sponsors of the Unibet Champion Hurdle, The Irish Gold Cup and betting partner of the Investec Derby."
THIS is what it’s all about – the reason why I became a jockey.
The Gold Cup is the pinnacle of our sport. To be riding a horse like Might Bite in the biggest race of the year makes the hardest work worthwhile.
He’s the King George winner and he has the track form having won the RSA Chase.
Everybody remembers what he did on the run-in last year when he nearly threw it all away. What they tend to forget is how dominant he was through the vast majority of the race. I certainly don’t.
I’m pretty hopefully he won’t do anything daft this time. I suppose you just never know.
He was fine when he won at Sandown first time out this season and he did have the opportunity.
The Gold Cup is on the New Course and that will play to our strengths. The finish is furthest from the stands of the two tracks so that should help a bit.
We’re now fully aware that it could happen. I just have to watch myself and not doing anything stupid - ride the last like it’s any other fence.
You’ve got to treat everyone as a danger. The likes of Native River, Our Duke, Djakadam – they’ve been in battles before.
The way Might Bite jumped the last in the King George shows he still had loads left. He cleared it by a foot.
I’m not liking the look of all the rain we’ve been having at Cheltenham but we can’t do anything about it. What I can tell you is that Might Bite is in great order.
The rain will give Richard Johnson’s mount Native River a great shout. He’s got plenty of form on soft ground and he stays well. I’m sure he’ll give Dickie a great spin.
Dickie is an absolute legend of the weighing room. He’s a bit older than me so he sits further up towards the number one peg than me.
He’s obviously champion jockey and deserves to be. When I was younger he was one of the guys I would often go to for advice – and I still do.
I was lucky enough to win the Gold Cup three years ago on Coneygree.
It all went by in a flash - I guess I was young and bit naïve but it was incredible.
To come here and win a Gold Cup was a dream. It makes you want to do it again so much and hopefully Might Bite will do it for all of us with my guv’nor Nicky Henderson going for a clean sweep of the Festival’s three biggest races.
I can’t wait to get going now. I’ll get there in the morning to walk the course. It’s nice to get away from everything – get to the top of the hill and look back at the stand.
Hopefully it’ll be full of people cheering Might Bite to victory later on. That’s the dream for all of us.