We’re used to seeing Paul Townend come over to Britain to ride over the Jumps. He rarely leaves Cheltenham or Aintree without riding plenty of winners. To date, Townend has never ridden at York, mainly due to the fact that the track only has Flat racing.
Jump jockey only races provide a rare opportunity for them to show their skills in a different sphere and Townend has been tempted into making an appearance at York on Saturday. The Irishman has ridden in three such races in the past and will be aiming to claim his first win. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Ey Up It’s Maggie (8-1, bet365) is Townend’s mount for the race and Tony Coyle has pulled off quite a coup to gain his services. She made a winning start to the season in a fair race for the grade at Doncaster back in April but has been a tad disappointing in her last couple of starts.
The handicapper has responded accordingly and she now finds herself on a mark just 1lb higher than when last winning. That win came did come under Billy Loughnane, who was claiming 5lb at the time however. She finished fifth in a couple of better races back in April and that form reads well in the context of this race.
Coyle’s charge won off 85 as a three-year-old so you would imagine she’s capable of getting her head in front here. In an ideal world, the ground would be slower, as she has a much better record on soft ground but she has won on good to soft so you wouldn’t want to rule out a return to the winners’ enclosure.
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