Jack Hobbs is one of my all-time favourite horses. He gave me a great ride in the Derby at Epsom when he finished second to Golden Horn, and he was a very good winner of the Irish Derby at the Curragh.
Jack Hobbs is one of my all-time favourite horses. He gave me a great ride in the Derby at Epsom when he finished second to Golden Horn, and he was a very good winner of the G1 Irish Derby at the Curragh.
It may be a little premature to say he is the best I have ridden, but he is right up there, and by the end of next season, he could well be standing alone as my flagship partner. He has tremendous ability, and the potential to be outstanding.
On Saturday at Ascot, Jack Hobbs gets his chance for a Group One victory against older opposition in the Champion Stakes. It is a very important race, and with the prestige and the money offered, a stand-out fixture in the calendar.
This is the fifth year of Ascot's Champions Day, and I have never yet won a race at the meeting. But Jack Hobbs, carrying the royal blue Godolphin colours, gives me an excellent chance to rectify that.
In a field of 13, we have drawn 12, near the outside. I have to agree with John Gosden, who described the draw as "disappointing." John knows, as well as anybody, that the first bend comes up very quickly, and there will be a real jostle for an early position. You need some luck.
Jack Hobbs, himself, is in tremendous form. I rode him in his racecourse gallop on the Rowley Mile last week and his well-being was very apparent. I was very pleased with him. It was an exercise to get him away from home and get the adrenalin pumping. It seemed to work well.
John has done a wonderful job in training and placing his two crack three-year-olds. It appears to have fallen perfectly for us all, really. Golden Horn got the fast ground that he likes in the Arc at Longchamp, and Jack Hobbs, who likes to get his toe in, will have perfect conditions in the Champion Stakes at Ascot.
Jack Hobbs missed Paris, and has been kept for this weekend. When John makes a call, you don't question it.
From a personal angle, I was thrilled when I heard that Jack Hobbs is to stay in training next season. He is just the type, who should develop and fulfill his potential at four. We have a great deal to look forward to.
The other factor in his favour, of course, is that he won't be bumping into Golden Horn again. Anthony Oppenheimer's Derby winner will be off to start another career as a stallion at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud.
