Seconds Out: Oli's latest monthly blog

Hello RaceSharers, time for my latest monthly blog and this kicks off with a big well done to all of Trevor’s owners! Anyone who has spoken to me at the races about the RaceShare horses will know I adore this horse. He was as quiet as a lamb when he was posing for photos on our first owners’ visit to William Haggas’s yard and has since developed into a really likeable racehorse. I loved Cieran’s comments after the race when he said that he would go close to winning wherever he goes next. The other thing to note is that William Haggas is having, by his incredibly high standards, a relatively quiet season but after Treasure Time’s win, followed almost immediately by Unequal Love’s win in the Wokingham, the good times are returning to Somerville Lodge - so there's every hope that Trevor can kick on from here. Also I want to give a big shout out to Dan who was BRILLIANT on the RaceTime show. Commentating is not easy at all but the best commentaries are the authentic ones and Dan cheering on Trevor was a joy to watch. Trust me, the chaos inside the final furlong of whether we were winning, would we hang on, who won crossing the line was felt by us all! Top job all round.

I’ve just had a few days off after Royal Ascot which I thought was an excellent five days for the sport. Equine performances of the highest class, great stories and a mixture of winners that meant every race felt like there was something new being served up. Below I have listed my top 5 Ascot moments, let us know on the RaceShare social channels what your highlights were and, as always, keep your questions coming in for the monthly show.

MY TOP 5 ASCOT MOMENTS

1. Billy Loughnane – make no mistake Billy Loughnane is the real deal. His breakthrough Royal Ascot successes on Rashabar and Soprano were of no surprise to anyone who has followed the rapid rise of this 18 year old rider. If you hadn’t heard of him prior to Royal Ascot then you may have been living under a rock, but I can guarantee he will be a name we see at the top table of racing for many years to come, provided his weight doesn’t get the better of him. In my role at ITV I regularly interview the jockeys and I have been so impressed by everything Billy has done both on and off the track. He is incredibly well mannered, personable and clearly understands all facets of the sport. His parents Mark and Clare, who were beaming with pride after his maiden Ascot victory in the Coventry, have clearly raised him exceptionally well and are, rightly, very proud. The thing that always blows me away is how this smiley, polite, softly spoken 18 year old can become a ruthless, competitive, winning machine on the track. He has all the attributes to be a Champion jockey and, at Ascot, the world became aware of Billy.

2. Rosallion – I know this will be a very obvious pick but for me this was the performance of the week from an equine point of view. Richard Hannon has never hidden his affection for this horse, and in the lead up to Ascot declared him the best horse he’s ever trained. High praise, and with those comments came a fair chunk of pressure but the horse and rider didn’t let Richard or punters down. Whether Notable Speech was quite in the same form as Newmarket is open to debate and I would argue he wasn’t, but take nothing away from Rosallion who possesses lethal attributes that will make him incredibly hard to beat wherever he goes next. I was slightly concerned the 3yo crop might be a bit of a flat year in 2024 but we are being treated to some extraordinary performances that set up generational clashes for the ages in the upcoming months.

3. George Scott/Callum Shepherd – as someone who spent a few years living in Newmarket in my mid 20’s (seems like a long time ago) I am so pleased to see the next generation of trainers really stamping their mark on the big stage. I lived with Tom Clover and Harry Eustace during my time in HQ, and both are flying along, but when we were all youngsters learning our respective crafts there would have been 10 or so of us in a similar position. George Scott, Charlie Fellowes, Harry Charlton, George Boughey, Ed Bethell to name a few. To see some of those names go on to taste victory at Royal Ascot for the first time was, on a personal level, incredibly rewarding. I know it is a cliché but it doesn’t happen overnight and I saw through our formative years the hard work and focus needed for these guys to get the opportunity to train a Royal Ascot winner. To see that hard work pay off was very satisfying. If I was to single one man out, it would be George Scott. I have known and been friends with George for a long time, given he started his career as assistant to my Uncle, Michael. It hasn’t always been the easiest journey to Ascot glory for George but he has persevered, kept his head down, and got rewarded with a performance from his horse Isle of Jura of real class. It’s been a great training performance to win the Bahranian Triple Crown at the start of the year (becoming the first horse to do this), and then returning to win at Royal Ascot. The manner of the victory was incredibly impressive and, on the back of that, he has to be a big player in the King George. We can’t talk about Isle of Jura without mentioning his jockey Callum Shepherd, without doubt the interview of the week. I think we often forget that the jockeys/trainers are human beings with exactly the same emotions as all of us. To see the obvious outpouring of what must have been a lot of pent up emotion was incredibly moving and I think he won not only a huge prize, but also a lot of new fans that day.

4. Aidan O’Brien/Kyprios – I’m not sure there are any superlatives left to describe the genius of Aidan O’Brien but once again we saw his brilliance as a trainer with the performance of Kyprios in the Gold Cup. Obviously Aidan is dealing with the best bred horses on earth but he maximises every ounce of their potential. Kyprios suffered a serious setback a couple of years ago and for Aidan and his team at Coolmore to nurse him back to the racecourse was an achievement - let alone to eyeball Trawlerman and beat him in a protracted duel up the Ascot straight. This isn’t the first time he has done something extraordinary this year with his masterful handling of City Of Troy after the Guineas flop to come back and win the Derby. We are dealing with one of the greatest trainers of all time and it is a privilege to be around to witness him and his horses do their thing.

5. Luke Harvey’s dancing – I don't know how many of you would have tuned into ITV’s coverage during Royal Ascot (hopefully all of you) but if you did tune in, you would have seen Luke Harvey running around various parts of the track seemingly having the time of his life! Luke is a great mate of mine and such a joy to work with, what you see on screen is absolutely what you get off screen. He’s very knowledgeable, works very hard but he always has a smile on his face and makes everyone laugh. The moment where he ran into the Ascot dancefloor and joined in on a rendition of Mr Brightside by The Killers will live long in all of our memories, and I am now going to make it my mission to get Harvey on a dancefloor at every major festival we cover! It was a bit of light hearted entertainment during a very long week for all of us but as always, it’s a real honour to be able to cover such an incredible event and I really hope you all enjoyed it.