There might be a three month gap in the 2020 Races of the Year compilation, but you can be fairly sure that the 2020 Coral Cesarewitch will make a podium position.
This is how it went:
The winner, available at 9-2 earlier in the day, was heavily backed by the kennel with trainer Mark Wallis admitting that he too had participated.
He said: “I told anyone who was interested that I fancied her. She had only had one 500m trial in preparation for the heats and could only find time with the benefit of that run. I thought she ran a great race and showed a lot of track craft. She seems to have worked out that the gaps on the inside at Romford tend to close up, so she is happy to negotiate her way through the middle or around the outside.
“The long term plan is the TV Trophy. The Aayamza Boys have come close on several occasions to winning it, and I know it is still an ambition. It should suit her even better, over the Hove marathon course, though if the field is as good as the Cesarewitch, she will still have her work cut out.”
The 11 times champion trainer has worked out he will need a run of similar determination if he is the reel in the 98 point lead of Patrick Janssens in the 2020 Trainers Championship.
He said: “I think we would need to win at least another three or four Cat One events before the end of the year, and looking at the strength of Patrick’s kennel, notably Kilara Lion, Bockos Doomie and Skilful Sandie, he probably reckons he has some more big wins to come himself. Kevin Hutton might also have something to say about it, or Liz McNair.
“I always knew this would be difficult. We’ve had a lot of new dogs arriving in the kennel and they are just starting to come to the fore. A month ago we weren’t even sure to have a runner in the Derby. As its turned out we have five and a reserve, and they are all progressive types.
“Plus we have the likes of Ava Storm, and Coolavanny Messi coming back and Antigua Fire should only be off another five or six weeks. I don’t know if we can catch Patrick, but we’ll try and make a contest out of it.”
AAYAMZA ROYALE with Emily Wallis (daughter of trainer Mark) after her Cesarewitch victory. Royale was Emily’s first Cat One winner as a parader. Photo: © Steve Nash
