Don’t miss Unibet ambassador Nico de Boinville’s latest column as he looks forward to his Kempton rides
Nico de Boinville talks all things Kempton as he looks forward to his Boxing Day rides
THERE’S always plenty of tasty treats around at Christmas but I just can’t wait to get my teeth into the 32Red King George.
Might Bite gave me such a thrill when landing this prize last year. Some great horses have won this twice or more like Desert Orchid, Long Run and, of course, five-time winner Kauto Star.
It would make my Christmas – and year even – if Might Bite could add his name to that list.
He was disappointing at Haydock – there’s no getting away from it. It’s been well documented I thought the fences that day were a big and stiff.
He’s going to have to do better than that as four of today’s runners were in front of him but he’s bound to improve for the run.
Jumping guru Yogi Breisner has been a few times when we’ve schooled him to give us a few pointers but, to be honest, he’s been very straightforward since Haydock – it didn’t affect him at all.
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He’s had a couple of pieces of work to put him spot on for today. The last one was on Wednesday last week back on the grass and it went really well. We schooled him the following day and it was perfect.
He’s in really good nick and we’re got him in as good a mindset as we can.
We know he likes Kempton – he always seems to run well around there. He is a very good jumper and this place suits him because the fences come thick and fast. I’ve got absolutely no worries on that score.
He was miles clear when he fell at the last in the Kauto Star two years ago and then he won the King George well last season. He was just idling after the last having had the race wrapped up.
I think the quality of this year’s race is much deeper so we have got it to prove but, if he’s back to the form of last year, he will be there or thereabouts. And I think he is back to that sort of form.
He’s favourite so some might think there’s a lot of pressure on us but I’m always pretty relaxed.
You wouldn’t be a jockey if you didn’t want to be on the favourite in these big races. You’ve just got to keep everything simple.
It will be hectic as I’ve got a full book of rides today – six of the best.
I start off on Mister Fisher (12.50). He won his bumper debut last season and he had a nice run when hurdling for the first time at Newbury last month. He just touched off by a short-head and was a little bit unlucky as he made a mistake at the last hurdle.
He’ll have come on so much for that run and he’s been doing everything right at home since then.
He’s a novice we think quite a bit of at home so I’m hopeful of a big run from him.
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Lough Derg Spirit (1.20) has had a bit of time off since I won on him first time out at Wetherby as he’s had a wind op. It wasn’t exactly stopping him but I thought it would be beneficial to him.
You could just hear a noise so we thought it was worth doing now instead of later in the season.
I liked the way he won at Wetherby and he’s a nice horse so he should run well.
I’m really looking forward to getting on Santini (1.55) again in the Kauto Star Chase. This is going to be a really good race with a lot of good horses like Bags Groove, The Worlds End and Topofthegame turning up.
I thought he ran a great race at Newbury to win a Grade 2 first time over fences. It was a big ask but it just showed what the owners and the guv’nor think of him.
I think we made one mistake down the back but apart from that he was very good. They went a good gallop and the form has been backed up when my mate Dave Bass easily won a Grade 2 on the runner-up Rocky’s Treasure at Doncaster.
When I was out injured with my broken thumb he was the horse I was desperate to come back for at Newbury’s big meeting. I certainly didn’t want to miss him.
He’s a good jumper and he’s got great engine on him. He’s only raced on soft so far but I think he might be even better on decent ground. I can’t wait to ride him.
Buveur D’Air will be very hard to beat in the Unibet Christmas Hurdle but I’m on the boss’ other runner Verdana Blue (2.30) and I expect her to run well.
She should love the ground if it keeps drying out. This is a great chance for her to finish in the frame in a Grade 1 and that’s important for her when she goes to become a mum.
I think we’ve got a decent chance of finishing second – I’d very much like to – and we’ll give it a good go.
I thought she ran a good race under a big weight in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham and she showed how talented she is when finishing runner-up in a Listed contest at Kempton on the all-weather last time. She’s a lovely mare and she definitely deserves to be in this race.
Colonial Dreams (3.40) has his first run of the season and this looks a good starting point.
He won a couple of novice races last season and I think the handicapper has got a pretty good grip on him. Hopefully he has improved enough over the summer to be able to cope with it.
He has been a bit keen so the big field should help. We’ll settle him and away we go.