Bryony Frost looked “fit as a flea” on her return to work on Thursday morning, according to Paul Nicholls, who suggested she could come back with a bang in the big race at Sandown on Saturday
Frost has spent the past four weeks recuperating from a broken collar bone, sustained in a fall just four days after her headline-grabbing success at the Cheltenham Festival.
The 24-year-old jockey must be passed fit to ride by racing’s chief medical officer when they meet in Lambourn on Friday morning but Nicholls has no doubt about the outcome. “She’s ridden three lots of work this morning and schooled as well,” the trainer said. “She’s fit as a flea, she’s done a lot of training.
“Sometimes you see jockeys [returning from injury] and think, ‘Hmm, I’ve got a doubt about that’, but she’s 100% fit. I told her to come back when she was not half fit but really fit and well and this little break’s done her good. She’s spent a lot of time on her fitness.”
The race meeting on Saturday marks the end of the jumps season and is a big moment for both Nicholls, who will be crowned champion trainer, and Frost, who will become champion conditional jockey. The pair hope to end on a high note with Present Man, a 16-1 shot for the Bet365 Gold Cup, in which he was third last year.
“He’s been trained for the race and he’ll love the ground,” Nicholls said. “We ran him once in January but it was a waste of time on the soft. He’s fresh and well and the faster the ground, the better for him, really.” Nicholls’s principal jockey, Harry Cobden, is booked to ride Give Me A Copper, whose chance would be improved by rain.
The going at Sandown is good to firm in places, so Nicholls has decided not to ask Cyrname to take on Altior in the Celebration Chase, though there is still a remote possibility that he might line up for the longer Oaksey Chase.
“I’ve had some abuse on Twitter but I’ve always said the only way I’d love to run him over two miles is on soft ground,” Nicholls said. “I’d say he’s very, very unlikely to run. He’s still a young horse with big days ahead of him.
“If we’re going to take on Altior let’s do it in November over two miles, five furlongs around Ascot. I wouldn’t be afraid of switching back to two for a Tingle Creek if the ground was December-testing but I’m not going to do it now.”
Perth 1.30 Vision Du Puy 2.05 From Eden 2.40 Count Simon 3.15 Atlanta Ablaze 3.45 Imperial Elysian 4.15 Misfits 4.45 Big Bad Bear 5.15 No Quarter Asked.
Doncaster 1.40 Days Of Glory (nap) 2.15 Valley Of Fire 2.50 Time For Bed 3.25 Dazzling Dan 3.55 Canford Bay 4.25 Bailarico 5.00 Red Allure.
Sandown 1.50 Reeves 2.25 Knight To Behold 3.00 Alfaatik (nb) 3.35 Sharja Bridge 4.05 Good Luck Fox 4.35 Sparkle Roll 5.05 Private Secretary.
Bangor 4.40 Corri Lindo 5.10 Lucky Lover Boy 5.40 Kereman 6.15 Northern Beau 6.50 Arctic Road 7.20 Angel’s Antics 7.50 The Milan Girl.
Chepstow 4.50 Timcoda 5.20 Jatiluwih 5.50 Grey Diamond 6.25 Barton Knoll 7.00 Adherence 7.30 Pink Eyed Pedro 8.00 Delface.
Tips by Chris Cook.
