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Yahoo Sport UK columnist Jim Crowley: I’m Berk-ing mad!

Having ridden nine winners in the last six days – including doubles on each the last two days – there is no jockey hotter than Bet4Causes Brand Ambassador Jim Crowley. In his exclusive Yahoo Sports UK and Racing Plus newspaper column, Jim gives the insight for his Saturday rides…

HAVING had just two runs in two years, Berkshire (3.00 Newbury) is a horse who now has to answer a few questions following a couple of below-par runs.

Going into this season, the five-year-old was a very capable horse who had only run five times in his life, winning three, including the Chesham and Royal Lodge as a juvenile.

I have always held him in high regard. He was very fresh at Goodwood in May when he was having his first run since October 2014, although that would not have been his track at all.

He was held up on the Polytrack at Deauville last month and disappointed there under Gerard Mosse.

He runs in the Listed Steventon Stakes today and obviously, if he came back to form, he would have a great chance.

I’m hopeful of a good run. It is always hard to be dogmatic about horses who have been on and off the track with issues. In fact, when you are dogmatic, usually it blows up in your face.

He has run twice in the best part of a year for Paul Cole but he has had time to get over both. It looks a winnable 10-furlong race and there would be nothing in the field I would be worried about, if he came back to form.

Berkshire (below) just wants nice ground and he is likely to get it. He sports blinkers for the first time, so I’m hoping they will galvanise him and help reveal his true ability.

Raucous (3.35) is dropping back to six furlongs for the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes. I rode him over seven in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Trained by William Haggas, he ran respectably when behind Ribchester and finished in mid-division. He was third in the Mill Reef over today’s curse and distance (again behind Ribchester) as a two-year-old over six furlongs.

It does look a hot race and you’d have to be more hopeful than confident.

Golden Stunner (2.30) is on a hat-trick, having won her maiden at Nottingham at the sixth attempt and following up on her handicap debut over a mile at Newmarket a month ago. She has gone up 5lb for that, but Ralph Beckett’s horses are on fire at the moment, so you would anticipate her having a favourite’s chance.

Tim Easterby has won the Weatherby’s Super Sprint three times since 1998 and he saddles Ventura Secret (4.10) and Hope Solo in a hugely competitive renewal.

I ride the former, who has had just four starts, but won on his third at Musselburgh before finding the easy ground and a 7lb penalty a bit too much to overcome at Beverley last time.

This is a race in which a lot of horses are only running because they are qualified to do so, but in truth, a few of those probably shouldn’t be running. Hopefully that is not one of mine, but as I have yet to sit on him, I can only go by what the form tells me. It is a very open race, but I would hope I have a chance.

Unfortunately, I have just one ride at Lingfield this evening. Prince Of Islay (6.40) is trained by my sister-in-law Amanda Perrett and will wear a visor for the first time in the 1m6f handicap. He carries top weight and is stepping up in trip. Her horses are running well and even though there are horses with a higher official rating in the field, hopefully this one can win. I can’t get much more dogmatic, can I?

On a roll

A JOCKEY’S confidence is everything. Any evidence to suggest otherwise is more anecdotal than empirical. Yet it is true, as it is in any sport – any top athlete will tell you so.

A winner gives you a lift and it can snowball. Winners get you better rides and therefore a better chance of riding more winners.

In terms of the number of winners I had hoped to achieve, this season as a whole has been a bit disappointing, but we are getting into the thick of summer now and it is starting to get rolling.

I turned 38 on Thursday (cake was off the menu, sadly), so it was good to celebrate with a brace at Chepstow.

Fortunately I have had a good week or so, with further doubles at Epsom, York and Nottingham, and treble at Windsor.

Last Saturday’s York brace was tempered somewhat by Spanish Squeeze being a non-runner in the John Smith’s Cup. As it turned out, he was well beaten at Yarmouth on Wednesday.

Other than that, everything ran well. Richard Fahey’s juvenile Lucky Mistake ran a stormer first-time-out and was beaten three-quarters of a length. That will be a horse worth following.

Magic Circle looks as though he will keep progressing and may well be a horse for the Cesarewitch.

Pamona was a bit of a revelation. She wasn’t fancied at all. The instructions were “get as close as you can”. She looked to have plenty on her plate in the John Smith’s Silver Cup and she not only surprised me, but also her trainer.

She had been placed in the Ribblesdale last season but had lost her way a bit and on this first run for Ralph Beckett (below), she won quite well.

She will now probably go for the Group Three Lily Langtree Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, although having picked up a two-day ban on Wednesday, it will rule me out of one day of that meeting. I’m not sure if I will miss the Wednesday or the Thursday yet. But all in all, it is a bit of a pain.

I was pleased Against The Odds won at Windsor, because he had disappointed twice and I’ve always said he was a decent animal. He is going to be a nice stayer and is one to keep on the right side of.

Let’s hope to keep the roll going!

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