I’m really looking forward to the season getting underway, in particular – the return of jumps racing at Ffos Las – with the Welsh Champion Hurdle.
It is of course my favourite racecourse to ride at – and I’ve really missed not having jumps racing there over the summer.
It is still a little too early to know for definite, whether I’ll have a ride in the big race – but dad always takes plenty of runners to the track, and hopefully I’ll be busy in the saddle on the day.
He has just welcomed his horses back from their summer break, and they’ll now be put through their paces at home, in the hope that most of them will return to the track in mid-October.
A little further north, of course, we have the Jumps Season Opener to look forward to – at Chepstow. This is the meeting we all look forward to – and regard as the weekend which signals the beginning of the new season. Hopefully there will be plenty of rain, and nice jumping ground, which will attract plenty of runners.
This meeting usually sees plenty of top-quality horses hitting the racecourse for their seasonal debut – and is a good stepping-stone for the rest of the season.
However, it also means that some people leave ecstatic after a great performance from their runners – but others leave disappointed and have to head back to the drawing board.
Aside from racing in Wales, one horse I am very much looking forward to riding again this season is the Paul and Clare Rooney-owned – and Harry Fry-trained – If The Cap Fits. I won the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Aintree on him, at the back end of last season, and I’m excited to see what he can do again this year!
Bring on the winter jumps season!
