Each week Matchbook Ambassador Bryony Frost will give us exclusive access to her racing schedules and give her views on her upcoming rides allowing Matchbook’s customers unique insight.
It’s great to be back rocking and rolling. The season is getting into full swing now and it’s great to be moving forward again now after a quiet summer.
It was brilliant to win the Old Roan Chase on Frodon at Aintree on Sunday. That was our first big race back, and thanks to Paul and to the owner Paul Vogt for putting me up on him again. They’re the races that everyone wants to win, and Frodon was brilliant. The way he did it. He’s so brave. He jumped and travelled and he battled so well.
He’s such a good jumper. The fences come at you thick and fast down the back straight at Aintree, and he was great at them. That’s one of his big assets, his jumping. I trusted him to jump them and he didn’t let me down.
After jumping the cross fence, he came back underneath me a bit. Filled his lungs. I just had to believe in him, he’s so brave, and he galloped all the way to the line for me. It meant an awful lot to me, to win a race like that, and to Paul, and the owners, and to the whole team. The others were at Wincanton, four hours down the road, and they were watching and cheering from the pre-parade ring!
I’m on Black Corton in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on Saturday.
What can I say about Black Corton? He was brilliant for me last season. He had the most wonderful novice campaign. He was a little person at the start of the year, and he became somebody. He was never meant to be that good.
This is another big step for him, out of novice company. It’s going to be a good measure of who he is tomorrow. It’s a small field but he’ll be taking on good horses.
Black Corton and Bryony team up once again for the Charlie Hall Chase.
He’s in great form though. He’s still got his summer coat as he did at this time last year, and he looks great. You can see your reflection in his coat. He’s a little person in the yard, he’s always got a smile on his face. He’s just a character, bossing you around.
You’ve got to believe in your horse. Why on earth should they believe in you if you’re not going to believe in them?
It should be a good race, it should be a truly-run race, and you can be sure that all the other trainers will have their horses ready to go as well. But I believe in my horse a hundred per cent.
I ride Old Guard in the West Yorkshire Hurdle. He had a good run at Kempton the other day. He ran well and he usually improves from his first run to his second.
I rode him at Newbury last year over two and a half miles when he won, but I think that, on that ground, he will stay three miles all right. He’s got plenty of ability too, and it will be lovely to get back on him.
Earlier in the day, I ride Cubswin for Neil King in the mares’ hurdle. She ran well at Market Rasen while I was off, and she ran well for me at Fontwell in early October. We were just caught on the line by Wind Place And Sho, who ran well back at Fontwell there last week.
Cubswin is up in class here, she has plenty to find on ratings with Irish Roe and Lady Buttons, but hopefully, she can run well.
