Don’t miss the latest column from Unibet ambassador Nico de Boinville as he discusses his Saturday rides at Kempton
Nico de Boinville talks through his Saturday rides at Kempton and also gives his views on Nicky Henderson's runners at Warwick
"Read the thoughts of five-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."
BE gentle with us jockeys this weekend – we’re all in need of some sympathy.
The lurgy has shot around the weighing room and, personally, I’m on my second dose of man flu in quick succession.
I reckon I picked it up from one of our valets on Saturday so I’m definitely blaming him.
We all change so close together as soon as one person gets something, everyone tends to end up with it.
It’s only the clever ones that got a flu jab early on that seem to have escaped.
Sadly, I wasn’t one of them but I’ll be making sure I get jabbed as soon as I’ve recovered from this.
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It doesn’t really affect your performance it just means you don’t feel great.
If you’re in a close finish it does hurt your lungs a bit – there’s always a fair bit of coughing and spluttering when you back in.
Don’t worry I’ll be back in peak form soon and I won’t be holding anything back on my two rides at Kempton today.
Chaparral Prince (12.20) shaped a lot better on his second start over hurdles at Kempton over Christmas having had a wind op.
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I’d like to think he’ll progress and improve again. The horse that beat us at Kempton was due to run yesterday at Huntingdon but he got stuck in traffic, literally, and was a non-runner.
It would have good to see how he got on as we’d have known where we stand a little bit better but I didn’t think it was a bad race.
I made the running and Beat The Judge just used his Flat speed. That was a good step in the right direction from Chaparral Prince as his breathing was clearly causing him a load of problems.
I schooled him the other day and he was in good nick. He’s quite a cheeky horse and he knows where to put his feet so I’ve got no worries about his jumping.
Josses Hill (3.15) shaped quite well when fourth behind Charbel in the Edredon Bleu Chase at Huntingdon last month.
They went flat out from the start and he couldn’t really lay up early doors so the step up in trip to 3m should help him.
That was a Grade 2 and the handicapper has raised him 3lbs which is a bit unfortunate but he was surrounded by high-class horses in that race.
He ran in the King George a couple of years ago so he has got form over 3m and the older he gets it seems the further he wants.
I’d like to think the return to this trip at a track we know he likes he should run well.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on the Classic Chase at Warwick as Mark and Sara Bradstock run Step Back (3.00).
I won on him at Fakenham last season before he went on to win the Bet365 gold Cup at Sandown with a really good performance.
My old mate David Bass will look after him. Hopefully, the horse with look after Bassy as well and teach him to sit still.
I think Step Back is better going right-handed but he needs a good jumping track like Warwick. His jumping is his main asset.
The boss runs Birchdale (2.25) in the Leamington Novices’ Hurdle – a Grade 2.
He looks to be the real deal so he must go there with every chance. I finished runner-up to him on Clarendon Street at Warwick on their debuts and he’s a horse I really like.
The trouble with recruiting stable staff has been in the new this week and it’s definitely an issue.
It’s a very tricky business we’re in because of the hours we have to work.
It’s like a hotel and the horses are our clients. They need care 24 hours a day seven days a week, almost.
Racing is like any business – when there are problems you’ve got to work around them and come up with innovative ideas to make work for you.
I think we should be treating it as a challenge that needs to be given a good bit of thought and I’m sure there’ll be some solutions.
The problem is you’re dealing with so many different factions that it’s hard to get everyone around the same table to agree on how to tackle it.
Trainers are doing their best to make the hours more workable. In France, the staff do evening stables one week on, one week off. That seems to work quite well.