Don’t miss 32Red ambassador Jamie Spencer’s latest column as he talks through Saturday’s King George at Ascot
Jamie Spencer is suspended this weekend but talks through the King George at Ascot
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THE scorching weather has got us all a bit hot under the collar.
In France the jockeys get an extra pound weight allowance when the temperature gets over a certain level.
It would make sense to do that over here but we never seem to do anything that’s sensible.
All you’ve got to do is watch the jockeys being interviewed after the races - there’s sweat dripping off us.
It especially affects those who have to take a couple of pounds off to make the weight before a race.
Once you open your pores and start sweating that’s it. The minute you do any exercise you’ll break out in sweat again. It’s not very nice.
RAIN DANCE Gosden on weather watch for stars Cracksman and Coronet ahead of King George
You can easily lose two or three pounds if you have a few rides during an afernoon.
Even if you have three energy drinks and a bottle of water you can end the day at the same weight despite putting so much into your system.
We get an extra pound to put on clothes in the cold weather so I can’t see the problem in giving us an extra pound when the temperature gets over a certain level.
The horses feel the heat as well. They can get heat exhaustion but the tracks have things in place to help.
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At Ascot they’ve got fans that spray a water mist on them to help cool them down. You wash them down before you saddle them up to go out as well. It gets their heart rate down.
I’m not at Ascot today – or anywhere in fact.
I picked up a whip ban on Lord Glitters at Ascot a few weeks ago. I’m suspended until next Friday so I miss the first three days of Goodwood.
It’s frustrating but you’ve just got to get on with it. I’ll miss plenty of rides unfortunately including God Given on Thursday.
The ban starts today so I miss King George meeting at Ascot.
I think the big race is very open. Now that Cracksman’s been left in it adds another dimension to the race. A lot will depend on the ground and whether the rain comes.
I do like Crystal Ocean. He’s won his three starts this year and has progressed each time. He’s got a few pounds to find on the book with Cracksman and Poet’s Word but I think he’s up to it.
He was a good horse last year. He ran a good race at Ascot when third in the King Edward and then won at Goodwood. His second behind Capri in the St Leger was another good run.
He’s unbeaten this year and he’s a guaranteed stayer. If I had the choice of any of them he’s the one I would like to ride.
There’s a chance that Poet’s Word has shown his best form over 1m2f. The Prince Of Wales’s Stakes he won at Royal Ascot was a strongly-run race – it worked out perfectly for him.
Frankie challenged early on Cracksman so Poet’s Word had the perfect run into the race.
I think the ground was a bit too quick for Cracksman at Ascot. I’m not surprised they’ve left him in the race. If the rain did come they’d be kicking themselves if he wasn’t declared.
He’s won two Group 1 races already this year and he won the Champion Stakes by miles last year. He’s the horse with the most form in the book but he does need a bit of rain and we’ve not seen much of that lately.