In the fifth edition of Racing Weekly, Rishi Persad and Sam Turner were joined by Brendan Powell Jnr, who is enjoying a resurgence as the number one jockey for the Tizzard stable.
Powell, who has racked up 52 wins so far this season, admitted that he was “buzzing” to return to prominence for the Tizzards, having “lost his claim quickly” after earlier successes with the stable including a first Cheltenham Festival winner on Golden Chieftain in 2013.
Now given first choice as the stable leader, is he feeling the pressure? “There are pressures that come with it, but pressure's only really what you put on yourself,” said Powell.
“From a yard point of view, it's good to have a stable jockey because you get the consistency, you get consistent feedback from the horses and get to know them from when they're starting out. It makes a massive difference when you ride them on the track.”
Racing Recap
The chat with Powell came after the usual Racing Recap section to kick things off, which saw Persad and Turner analyse the Grand National Trial win for The Galloping Bear at Haydock, an impressive win for Teahupoo at Gowran Park and the Champion Hurdle chances for Adagio.
Despite the win for The Galloping Bear, Turner preferred to focus on the runner up in Bristol De Mai, calling his performance “bravery personified” and a real testament to the Twiston-Davies yard.
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Teahupoo, meanwhile, has become a live contender (best price 8/1) for the Champion Hurdle in the eyes of Turner, despite the presence of huge favourite Honeysuckle, while Persad believes that Adagio (20/1) could be a smart each way play for the same race.
Turner said on Teahupoo: “He's only been beaten once in seven starts, and he is a horse going off Robbie Power's comments afterwards that has improved greatly since he rode last year. The ground at Gowran is like no other too and he wants decent spring or summer ground to bounce off. He's got speed and pace, he jumps economically. He's a live one.”
Festival Focus
Rounding off the show was the weekly Festival Focus segment, this time for the Queen Mother Champion Chase. It has been billed as a two-horse race between Shishkin and Energumene, but Turner left Racing Weekly viewers in no doubt as to who he thinks will come out on top.
“If Shishkin repeats the level of performance we saw at Ascot, I really can't see how he can be beaten. I think he's even better suited to Cheltenham. It's just the way he devours the last 10% of races for me, he's just a monster.”
