Davies hoping Wimbledon can prove a Frankel-style ace

Memories of Frankel are inspiring ahead of a huge weekend, when the local rider will partner James Owen’s in the Betfred 2000 Guineas.

The 20-year-old has grown up in the heartland of British racing and was embedded in Hugo Palmer’s operation as a youngster when Galileo Gold won the Classic in 2016, while he was an apprentice when then boss Andrew Balding’s Kameko claimed the Covid-hit 2020 edition.

However, it was the Rowley Mile romp of Sir Henry Cecil’s superhorse in 2011 that sticks in his mind, as Davies anticipates some butterflies when getting the leg-up for his first taste of Classic action on home soil.

Davies said: “Frankel demolished them that day and while I was only very young (six), I can still remember sitting on the floor and watching it. At that age you don’t really know much, but even then Frankel had the ‘wow’ factor.

“I had some great years at Andrew Balding’s and was there when Kameko won the 2000 Guineas which was amazing and when I was a kid at Hugo’s he had Galileo Gold, so I have quite a few memories of the race that really stand out and they are all very special.

“To have a ride in the race is amazing and it has always been a dream for me to ride in the 2000 Guineas. It will be a big day.

“I just hope it’s all smooth with no excuses and he can run a nice race. It’s a big thing and I have to pinch myself – it’s not to be taken for granted.”

He added: “I never really get nervous before a race, but the 2000 Guineas is a whole different ball game. I have never been nervous before a race in my life but this is something I have grown up watching, so I’d like to say I will have some butterflies and if I don’t I will be surprised.”

Wimbledon Hawkeye won the Royal Lodge over the 2000 Guineas course and distance last year before chasing home Field Of Gold on his return in the Craven Stakes and his jockey is hoping there is improvement to come from the talented son of Kameko as he attempts to turn the tables on the big-race favourite.

Davies continued: “I think he can take a step forward from the Craven and hopefully he is not out of it.

“He is a horse that we are viewing to be going further with at some point so as much as this is the Guineas, it is a stepping stone to what is to come for him and he is always going to improve from this run.

“The track will suit him. He hit a little bit of a flat spot in the Craven but once he hit that rising ground, he came home nicely. I will be riding him nice and handy and making use of him.

“You just never know, it’s the 2000 Guineas and you’ve seen wilder results. He is a horse that wants a little bit further, so hitting a flat spot – it’s not about the flat spot but how you can use it. He is a very tough horse and every time you ask him, he finds a little bit more for you.”

Davies’ weekend will also see him take the reins aboard Wimbledon Hawkeye’s Owen-trained stablemates Ambiente Friendly (Jockey Club Stakes), Pellitory (King Charles II Stakes) and Trad Jazz (Pretty Polly Stakes) over the course of Newmarket’s three-day Guineas meeting in a fruitful association the jockey is enjoying.

He added: “James has a growing team and is a young trainer who has really put himself on the roster of trainers that are going places.

“It is a nice link up for me. James has a lot of runners and trains all different calibres of horse. He has winners every day of the week and it’s important as a jockey for the momentum to be riding winners as often as you can.

“The Crisfords, along with James, Hugo Palmer and David Menuisier, are the main four trainers I’m riding for at the minute and it is going nicely, so I will just try to keep it going on the trajectory that it is and you never know where it will take you.”