Rachael Blackmore: Delighted to be on Janidil in a high class race

• Rachael says Leagacy Thor has been making nice progress

• She's delighted to be riding Janidil again

• Is looking forward to seeing what Hurricane Cliff can do over fences

Has been making nice progress this season

14:52 - Legacy Thor

I ride Legacy Thor for Stuart Crawford in the Tote Fantasy Handicap Hurdle at Gowran on Saturday.

I have never ridden Legacy Thor before. Actually, I have only ridden once for Stuart before. I rode a mare called A Touch Of Sparkle to win a handicap hurdle at Cartmel for him in July 2017 when I was claiming 3lb!

Legacy Thor won his maiden hurdle over this distance of two and a half miles at Navan in December 2020, when he beat me into second place on Minella Escape. He was off the track for all of last season, but he has been making nice progress this season. His third and latest run this term was a good run, in the Navan Handicap Hurdle, when he finished just seven and a half lengths behind the winner HMS Seahorse.

He was right there with the leaders until the run to the final flight at Navan, it was a good run in a good race. He was 2lb wrong at the weights too, he gets to race off his correct mark now of 116, and that is a workable mark.

And he can jump a bit to his right, so he could be even better going this way around. Stuart has his horses in good form too, he had a winner and two seconds from three runners at Ayr on Tuesday.

Delighted to be getting the chance to ride him again

15:27 - Janidil

Janidil is a lovely ride to pick up for Willie Mullins and JP McManus in the Red Mills Chase.

He is a classy horse, he finished second behind Allaho in the John Durkan Chase on his debut last season, and he finished second behind Allaho again in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham in March.

I have ridden him once before in a race, I rode him in the Flogas Novice Chase that Monkfish won at Leopardstown at the 2021 Dublin Racing Festival, when he was unfortunate to fall at the fourth last fence. He was still travelling well for me at the time.

This is obviously a high-class race. Haut En Couleurs fell at the last fence when he was in front in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase at Thurles last time, Capodanno was impressive in winning the Grade 1 Dooley Insurance Group Novice Chase at the Punchestown Festival on his final run last season, and Darasso is a really likeable 150+ rated horses who nearly always runs his race.

Like Capodanno, Janidil is making his seasonal debut, but he does go well fresh. He won on his seasonal debut in 2019 and in 2020, and he finished second in the John Durkan Chase on his seasonal debut in 2021. I am delighted to be getting the chance to ride him again.

Has been schooling well at home

16:02 - Hurricane Cliff

Hurricane Cliff runs in his first beginners' chase here, and I am looking forward to riding him in it.

His last run over hurdles, at Thurles just before Christmas, was disappointing, but that was his first run for almost six months. I hope that he can do better here now, on his first run over fences.

He ran well in a competitive handicap hurdle at the Punchestown Festival in April, he almost joined the leader on the run into the home straight, and he wasn't beaten far in the end by the winner Felix Desjy.

He has been schooling well at home, so hopefully he will take well to fences on the track. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do over fences.

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