Dont miss 32Red ambassador Jamie Spencer’s latest column as he talks through his Saturday rides
Jamie Spencer looks ahead to a big day of racing on Saturday, but he'll be competing for the biggest prize of them all Down Under
The multi-award winning online casino are the most prolific sponsor of British Racing. Every week at the you can read Brand Ambassadors Jamie Spencer, Josephine Gordon and Luke Morris’ thoughts on their prominent rides and the hot topics in Flat Racing, as well as get unrivalled access to Jump’s biggest names in Nico de Boinville, Paddy Brennan and Bryan Cooper.
G'DAY everyone. I’ve jetted off to Australia to ride in the world’s richest turf race today – the TAB Everest.
I’m on Brave Smash in the £6million sprint at Royal Randwick run this morning at 6.15am British time.
I rode for the owners last year when they had a horse with David Simcock so it’s nice to get the call up to go Down Under.
Going on his form in Australia, Brave Smash goes there with a reasonable each-way chance. It’s huge prizemoney and there’s a lot of horses with a similar chance. He’s got blinkers on for the first time so hopefully they’ll help him.
I’ve never ridden in Sydney before – only in Melbourne. But it’s a very fair track and they usually fan out in the straight.
I’ve ridden some Group 1 winners down there and I finished fifth in the Melbourne Cup on Big Orange.
It’s like everywhere – if you’ve got the right horse it’s fine. I’ve got a few other rides on the card so I’m looking forward to it.
Had I stopped at home I would have been on John Constable in the Cesarewitch – I really fancy his chances.
He’s a full-brother to Leading Light, who won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and he’s well handicapped on his hurdles form.
Evan Williams gave him a wind operation earlier in the year and it’s clearly worked as he’s won a couple of decent hurdles races this summer.
Jumps trainers have a good record in the Ces. I think it’s down to the style of training.
You watch a jumps race and they’re all pushing five furlongs out. In Flat racing you don’t see that very often - the jumps horses are that bit harder.
I won the Cesarewitch in 2006 on Detroit City for Philip Hobbs. He’s the perfect example of the sort of horse you need.
He was a four-year-old who had won the Triumph Hurdle – he was a strong stayer. I was pushing on him about a mile out and he got through to win.
It’s a real test of stamina and jumps horses seem to handle it that much better.
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To start with you come out of the stalls and you go a mile before you turn. Even when you’re riding over a mile on a straight track, like Ascot for instance, you need a horse that gets the trip really
well.
The horses don’t get breathers when they’re running in a straight line. They run hard in your hands as they can’t see the end coming.
When you get to a bend a horse will change legs and get a breather. In the Cesarewitch they run hard for a mile and then they turn and it’s a mile-and-a-quarter straight again.
You get one little breather so you need a horse who has got a good mind and able to relax.
You also need a good position – you can’t come from too far back as there’s always traffic problems.
The draw is important. If you kick up from the outside to get a position then your horse can over-race. It’s very hard to win if that happens.
You need be able to jump out, mosey, get a position in the first ten and ride your race from there.
If the Expert Eye that won the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood pitches up in the Dewhurst then they’ll all playing for places behind him.
He’s a smart horse – the best two-year-old I’ve seen this season. I rode in the Goodwood race and he looked very mature at the start. He’s strong, precocious and ready to do a lot this year.
I think he surprised Andrea Atzeni a bit. I don’t think he planned to be in front so early but, when he asked him to pick up, he had instant acceleration and killed the field.
It may not have been the greatest of Vintage Stakes but he beat them hollow.
It will be interesting to see how he gets on today and especially how he trains on next year.
At this stage he’s a worthy favourite for next year’s 2,000 Guineas as the colts don’t look a standout bunch at the moment.