By Graham Clark
Sean Bowen admits receiving the call up to partner Haydock Park specialist
Royale Pagaille is a ‘great ride to get’ in tomorrow’s Oddschecker
Trial Handicap Chase.
The current Jump Jockeys’ Championship leader, who is just two short of riding his 1,000th winner in Britain and Ireland, will get the leg up on the Venetia Williams-trained 11-year-old for the first time in the £100,000 Premier Handicap.
After pulling up in his quest for a third Peter Marsh Handicap Chase success at the track last month the Blue Bresil gelding arrives at the scene of his two Betfair Chase wins with something to prove in the extended three and a half miles test.
However, Bowen is confident Grade One-winning-trainer Williams will have Royale Pagaille, who is number two on the list of weights for the
at Aintree, back to his best in his quest for a sixth course success.
Bowen said: “He is a very good horse that obviously loves it around Haydock Park. It is the right track for him and he is trained by a very good trainer.
“Hopefully Venetia can get him back from his last disappointing run and if that is the case then he can go well.
“I’ve not sat on him at Venetia’s, but he looks like a fairly straightforward ride.
“He is a genuine Grade One horse, but he does seem to save his best for Haydock Park. He is carrying a lot of weight. However, that is for a good reason.
“Just looking at the race there are plenty that are out of the handicap. Jubilee Express is eight pounds wrong and Val Dancer is six pounds wrong which makes it tougher for them.
“All eyes are on him every time he goes to Haydock Park and he is a great ride to get as he is a very high-profile horse.”
And while Bowen is excited about the opportunity to partner Rich and Susannah Ricci’s course specialist, who will be conceding more than a stone to all of his rivals, he insists plenty of credit needs to be attributed to his agent Alain Cawley for securing the plum spare ride.
Bowen said: “I had a ride for Venetia last week and I suppose this has come off the back of that. I leave things like this to my agent as he is good at finding the good spares.
“He rang me and said he had got me a ride in the Grand National Trial and he then said: 'which one do you want to ride'.
“I was looking through it and I said I suppose Royale Pagaille would be the one and he said that is the one I’ve got for you!
“He got me on Secret Squirrel last weekend, which unfortunately didn’t quite go to plan in the race, and Royale Pagaille this weekend so he isn’t doing a bad job.”
Bowen will bid for Grade Two glory either side of riding Royale Pagaille starting with the Olly Murphy-trained Thunder Rock, who will step up to an extended three miles for the first time this season in the WKD Rendlesham Hurdle.
Bowen added: “He had a fibrillating heart in the Ascot Hurdle when we thought he might run well on his comeback and because he was on the back foot.
"He then needed the race a lot more than what was expected in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham, but he actually ran okay in that as he was running on and then he had a real good blow.
"He went away for a gallop 10 days ago and I was very happy with him. I schooled him on Thursday and he seems in good form. I think he could run very well.
“He is not a slow horse, but he does stay well as he showed when winning at Kelso last season.
"This looks like a race that is perfect for him. It is a proper Grade Two race and that is his level.”
Grade One-winning trainer Murphy and Bowen will team up in search of more big race glory with Roaring Conquest in the Albert Bartlett Prestige Novices’ Hurdle.
And Bowen believes the Doyen gelding could exact revenge on his Uttoxeter conqueror Derryhassen Paddy on his first start over an extended three miles in the Grade Two race.
Bowen said: “I’m interested to see how he goes as he won nicely enough at Uttoxeter the first time then he upped it a level at Lingfield last time.
“He was very impressive that day and the runner-up (Taita Hills) boosted that form at Sandown Park yesterday.
“He is a straightforward horse that jumps well and he will have no trouble staying three miles either.
“We’ve learnt a lot about him since Uttoxeter when he finished behind Derryhassen Paddy, who he re-opposes here, and he has definitely improved since then.
“We don’t really know where his level is yet, but he has got the potential to be good.”
But before all those rides Bowen will bid to help the James Owen-trained Lavender Hill Mob, who holds an entry in the JCB Triumph Hurdle, book his ticket to the Cheltenham Festival with victory in the Victor Ludorum Juvenile Hurdle.
He said: “It is a good little race. He has progressed with each start over hurdles as it didn’t come naturally to him each time.
“He will need to take another step forward to win this, but he looks like he is capable of it with his current rate of progression.
“He is obviously a smart Flat horse and James thought a lot of him at the start of the season and hopefully he can turn into the horse he thought he might be at the start of the season.”