3.00 - Moet & Chandon International Handicap (Heritage Handicap) - Classic
Classic is my first of the day at Ascot on Saturday, and we were very impressed with him last time, and how he dealt with the change of tactics. Dropping back to seven furlongs on a stiffer track will definitely suit him. I think he's a very straight-forward horse to ride; he isn't too one dimensional - he's a very comfortable horse. We still think he's well treated, and this is a very good opportunity for a big pot, and I suspect he'll be bang there.
3.35 - Betfred Handicap - Talis Evolvere
Talis Evolvere ran really well last time out, finishing third at York. He's also ran well at these kind of stiff tracks, like up in Newcastle the time before. He's very exposed, but he's always very competitive at the same time, too, so I'd imagine he'll run a good race here, albeit against a competitive field.
5.15 - Whispering Angel Handicap - Michaela's Boy
Michaela's Boy is one of Robert Cowell's who maybe has an each-way chance here. Again, he's a very straight-forward horse who knows all about sprinting. He placed last time in a competitive race at Chepstow, and hopefully Ascot isn't too stiff a track for him. He seems to do well on easier tracks, and that may be down to his style of running. He's really consistent, although this is a really competitive race here. I'd say Aramram is going to be really difficult to beat, based on what he's done so far.
I'm over in Munich on Sunday, riding just the one. Persica takes his chance in a Group 1 out there. Everyone knows we're talking about a very good horse here, and it looks as though the ground is really going to suit him. The racing at York just looked a little bit more competitive, so the boss [Richard Hannon] has decided to take his chance elsewhere, and rightfully so. It should all be fairly straight-forward, from leaving Ascot on Saturday. It's in Munich, so we'll fly to Munich on Sunday morning and be more than ready for that race at 1.10.
