Talaayeb win was a Dream

A flying visit to York paid off handsomely yesterday, winning the Group 3 City Of York on Talaayeb for Hamdan Al Maktoum and Owen Burrows.

I got the (missed) call on Wednesday, while I was riding work for the boss (Kevin Prendergast). When I called the number back, it was Angus Gold. And, when he asked me if I would ride a filly that had finished fourth to Winter in the 1,000 Guineas, I didn’t have to think twice.

The boss and Fozzy gave me the go-ahead. And the filly won well, despite taking off with me and getting to the front too soon.

Talaayeb is a classy filly. And she was my first ride in York since I won on Be Perfect, for the late Dandy Nicholls, in October 2013.

A day off today. And three rides, all with chances, at the Curragh tomorrow. And I’m looking forward to teaming-up with

again in the Tote Irish Cambridgeshire.

Brian Ellison’s grey has been good to me. Lightning struck for a second time, in the same place, when he won the Ahonoora Handicap again in Galway.

He’s a real hold-up horse, a horse you have to ride for luck. And we’ve had the luck twice in the seven furlong Galway handicap, coming from well off the pace to land the spoils.

Last year, he went up 4lb for his Galway win and finished fifth to Sea Wolf in the Cambridgeshire, when the drier ground found him out. So I’m hoping there’ll be plenty of juice in the ground tomorrow.

He led home a 1-2-3 for the Ellison team in Galway. And he went up 6lb for his troubles.

But I’m happy enough, believing that he would have won the Galway race with an extra 6lb, and expecting another big run from him.

He’s drawn one, which shouldn’t inconvenience him. I’ll be taking my time and trying to weave my way through again. We’ll need plenty of luck again and, with it, we should be involved at the business end.

Aidan Howard’s is a smashing campaigner, a model of consistency. But he has paid for a win and three good seconds in his last four runs – he’s gone up 10lb.

This fellow always runs his race. And he’s been unlucky this year – he’s been beaten in two photo finishes, including being mugged on the line by Ice Cold In Alex two runs back. And, last time, the ground was a shade quick for him, when second to Ducky Mallon.

But he’s run well at a good level. And he should do again tomorrow.

Raphael, my mount in the nursery, is a horse we’ve always liked. He has promised so much on the gallops but has disappointed on the track.

He has been gelded since his last run, is working well and we haven’t lost faith in him. Realistically, tomorrow’s race is a fact-finding mission.