Matchbook Ambassador Bryony Frost reflects on last week’s success on Kapote and Brandon Castle while looking ahead to her rides this weekend.
It was great to get another win on the board with Kapote at Wincanton last Saturday.
He was entitled to win on ratings, but it was his first run back over hurdles since last February. He won well though, I didn’t have to get serious with him at all. He’s still a bit babyish, it took him a little while to move through the gears, but he did it nicely. He’s a proper horse, and it was nice to be able to ride another winner for JP McManus.
Brandon Castle was very good too at Plumpton on Sunday. He did more or less the same as he did last time – he just got out in front and wasn’t caught!
This time, I didn’t even try to hold him up. He’s got his way, and it’s as well to let him get on with it. He will settle though. He’s not stupid. He’ll listen to you. He’s not running blind.
That’s another couple of flights under his belt now, some more experience, and that should do him a lot of good. I was able to get a breather into him past the stables, same as last time, and I didn’t have to get serious with him.
It was good to have Zoffany Bay in the race, a proper 120-rated horse. It gave us an indication of where we might stand. And the Olly Murphy horse that we beat last month went on and won at Bangor, so the form is taking shape.
I was impressed with him. I think he’s going in the right direction. He’s going to have to step up now, into a better grade, and that will be a test for him, but he could be up to a stiffer test. He’s not very big, but he carried 11-11 well on Sunday. He’s tough and durable. He’s a proper horse to go to war with.
One of the big questions will be, how he will handle a bigger galloping track. At Plumpton I’m able to give him the breathers that he needs. We may not be able to do that on a bigger, galloping track. But he stayed well on the flat, he won over a mile and six furlongs at Musselburgh and Ayr, so there is every chance that he will be fine on a more galloping track.
Matchbook Betting Exchange Brand Ambassador Jockey Bryony Frost. Picture by Mikal Ludlow Photography 17-10-18
I had my first winner ever at Leicester on Monday, Regulation in the selling hurdle.
I don’t go to Leicester too often, but it hasn’t been a very lucky track for me when I have gone there, so it was nice to ride a winner there. It was good to be back on Regulation too, he gave me a great day at Kempton last April.
He knows what he’s about, you leave him alone at his hurdles and he figures it out. I took him wide for the better ground, and he battled well. He looked beaten when he was passed, but he battled and got up well. For a lot of horses, they wouldn’t have shown the determination that he showed. He’s great fun to ride, he has a great attitude.
It was fantastic for his owners too, the Ridgeway Partnership. They have a good few horses, and he was a nice winner for them. It’s not every day you have a winner. There was no bid for him either, which was great. He got to come home to his own bedroom, and hopefully I will get to ride him again.
I’m looking forward to riding Black Corton in the 32Red Casino Chase at Kempton on Saturday. He’s dropping back down to two and a half miles, but there should be plenty of pace on, so it should be fine for him.
Back in his day he won a listed two-mile novice hurdle at Kempton. He’ll be fine at the distance.
He loves the track, he loves the ground, and he looks great. He still hasn’t been clipped, his coat is gleaming. We’ve got to try to get him back on track, to get the little horse running again, get a good positive run into him. I’m looking forward to getting him going again. He’s in cracking good form at home, he has schooled well and he’s full of beans.
I ride Canyon City in the Lanzarote Hurdle. He’ll love the ground too.
He’s getting very professional in his races. He won with me at Fontwell in October, and he has run two good races since, at Kempton and at Doncaster. He deserves to go and have a crack at a race like this.
He’s street-wise now, which is a big positive in these big handicap hurdles. Everything happens so quickly. He’s a nice handy horse, he’s an ideal hurdler, and I hope that he will run well.
Finally, I ride Minellaforleisure in the last. He ran a really nice race for me at Cheltenham in October. I made a bit of a mess of it, I went too wide, and he just got a little bit tired from the back of the last.
He has been busy enough since, he hasn’t been running badly, and if he can just improve a little from that Cheltenham run, that would give him a squeak. I’m looking forward to getting back on him.
I have a rare day off on Sunday, so I’m looking forward to that!
