Pat Eddery retires at the end of the season, but while his long-term plans areoff the racecourse he is still focused in the short term on matters on the track. And he had the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot on his mind after steering Millenary (5-1) to a repeat victory in the Princess Of Wales's UAE Equestrian And Racing Federation Stakes at Newmarket today.
The former champion jockey leapt from the saddle to suggest to winning trainer John Dunlop that the six-year-old should go for the big race on July 26. When asked whether the idea might be too fanciful, Eddery said: "No, definitely not. He was fifth in it two years ago when the ground was too firm. He has to have the give. Today was just super ground. We were very lucky. For the time of year the ground was perfect."
"I was confident about this horse running a big race today, if not winning." Eddery feels the current crop of three-year-olds are not the force they might be and can be taken on with confidence at Ascot. "They're not, they're obviously not, without a doubt," he said. "The horse that finished fourth in the Derby (Norse Dancer) got murdered in the Eclipse the other day."
"The older horses are better. The three-year-old today (sixth-placed High Accolade) was flat out five out. These are good, honest, consistent old horses. Tell me a three-year-old who's impressed us this year. I haven't seen one. I think they're going to have a hell of a job with the four-year-olds andfive-year-olds."
Filed by Brendan Cole
