Dougie Costello says he is determined to remain positive despite the blow of losing the ride on Quiet Reflection at the start of the new Flat season. Costello rode the star sprinter in all seven of her races last year – their four wins included the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and Haydock’s Sprint Cup – but Karl Burke, her trainer, has decided to give the ride to Martin Harley.
“I just met Karl on the way out of Ayr racecourse there and I shook his hand and said, ‘Thank you for giving me the chance,’” Costello said on Monday night. “There’s been no falling out.
“I want to be as positive as possible. This is racing and you get jocked off horses left, right and centre. I’m very grateful to Karl. My first year as a full-time Flat jockey, he gave me a great leg-up and I ended with four Group wins.
“My view is that to be a top-10 jockey you need a base behind you. It’s just back to the grind now and see what we can find. I have always worked hard but I’ll work twice as hard now and see if I can’t get another Quiet Reflection or another Monet’s Garden, another Wayward Prince or a Midnight Chase. I’ve been blessed all the way through my career with these good horses.”
The Middleham-based Burke was cagey about the reasons behind the split but it appears he has not been impressed by the results that he and Costello achieved together last year, when the former jump jockey rode about a third of his runners, winning at a 10% rate. “Dougie’s not riding for us any more,” Burke said. “Things didn’t quite pan out as I’d hoped when I took him on and our association came to a natural end over the last couple of months.
“It came to a decision between me and the owners of Quiet Reflection. I didn’t feel it was right that he would be riding only her and nothing else in the yard, not that he did anything wrong on her.”
Burke has long been an admirer of Harley, whose five Group One successes include one of the big sprints at Royal Ascot, in the King’s Stand of 2015 aboard Goldream. While Harley is based in the south of England and happy to remain there, he jumped at the chance to ride such a classy animal for the Yorkshire trainer.
“It’s very exciting,” Harley said. “I got the call a week ago and spoke to Karl about it at Pontefract the other day. It is only on a handshake but I’m confirmed to be riding her wherever she goes all year.
“I haven’t sat on her yet but I will do in the next two weeks. She annihilated them at Haydock. I’d rather be sitting on her than sitting in the weighing room.”
Quiet Reflection is likely to be seen next on 27 May in Haydock’s Temple Stakes, when Burke hopes she will get her preferred ease in the ground. The trainer indicated she had not been impressing in her work but Harley said: “Some of these experienced horses just save it for the track, which is a good thing.”
Tuesday’s tips, by Chris Cook
Ayr 2.00 Poet’s Reward 2.30 Sketch Book Venue 3.00 Warp Factor 3.30 Six Silver Lane 4.00 Burrishoole Abbey 4.30 Kingsley Klarion 5.00 Not A Bad Oul Day
Fakenham 2.10 Back To Balloo 2.40 Ohms Law 3.10 Fortified Bay 3.40 Queen Spud 4.10 Amron Kali 4.40 Monsieur Gibraltar
Ffos Las 2.20 Prussian Eagle 2.50 Coroberee 3.20 Cole Harden 3.50 Positively Dylan 4.20 Ugolin De Beaumont 4.50 Rhaegar
Exeter 5.45 Brahms De Clermont 6.15 Swatow 6.45 Abricot De L’Oasis 7.15 Gowanauthat 7.45 Brandy And Red 8.15 Equus Amadeus
Leicester 6.00 Ghepardo 6.30 Kachess (nap) 7.00 Mariee 7.30 Rotherwick 8.00 Il Sicario (nb) 8.30 Pursuing Steed
