'He likes to surprise everyone' - Tom Bellamy relishing ride on popular veteran Paisley Park in Friday's Long Distance Hurdle

Tom Bellamy will go into Friday's Coral Long Distance Hurdle (3.00) with his wits about him as he partners Paisley Park for the second time, such is the popular stayer's attitude at home.

Bellamy has been called up to ride the Emma Lavelle-trained 11-year-old again as his regular rider Aidan Coleman continues to recover from a knee injury. He will bid to go two better than when the pair combined to finish third in the 2021 Long Walk Hurdle.

"I’ve ridden him plenty," the jockey said on Monday. "He schooled a couple of weeks ago with me and he was very good, and we’re going to do it again tomorrow. I don’t know him as well as Aidan but I feel like I know him well enough.

"He’s funny, you wouldn’t believe he’s the age he is the way he acts. You’ve always got to have your wits about you with him, he can just whip around and he just acts like a kid and he’s not."

Paisley Park has contested the last four runnings of the Long Distance Hurdle, recording form figures of 1232, and this year's race will provide connections with an indication of whether or not to keep him in training. 

Tom Bellamy and Paisley Park (right) finish third in the 2021 Long Walk HurdleCredit: Mark Cranham

Andrew Gemmell's veteran, who won last year's Long Walk Hurdle when it was rearranged and staged at Kempton, was last seen finishing seventh in the Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. He is 3-1 with the race sponsors to win the Long Distance Hurdle for a second time, but Bellamy is practical about his chances given the conditions.

"I’d be realistic in the sense he’s not improving and it’s going to be a big task to give Marie’s Rock and Dashel Drasher weight," he said. "We’re going there to see. He owes nobody anything and if he were to disappoint it might be time to call it a day, but it’s Paisley Park and he likes to surprise everybody. 

"I’m going there with my eyes wide open and hopeful that he puts his best foot forward."

The jockey is also looking forward to partnering Paisley Park's stablemate Tightenourbelts in the Grade 2 Coral John Francome Novices' Chase (1.50) earlier on the card, where he could face Grade 1 winner Hermes Allen.

The six-year-old made a good impression when winning by ten lengths on his chasing debut at Ludlow this month, and Bellamy is relishing the chance to ride him in better company. 

"He’s very exciting," he said. "He beat Llandinabo Lad, who is a good yardstick and a good horse to judge a performance from, at Ludlow and it was a demolition job.

"His schooling at home had been good, a little bit exuberant maybe, so I wanted to school him around and get competitive late on but he grabbed hold of the bit and said ‘right, you ready Tom? We’re off now’ and away we went. 

"He’ll have to step up massively on Friday because he won a handicap off 124 and now he’s off level weights with high 140-150 horses, but there’s no reason why he won’t. There’s a few in there having their chase debuts so at least he’s got that bit of experience."

'He destroyed them': Tom Bellamy on Broadway Boy's Cheltenham winCredit: Alan Crowhurst

The rider has already picked up a profitable spare this season when partnering Broadway Boy to a stunning 20-length success at Cheltenham's November meeting for Nigel Twiston-Davies. Although he is unlikely to ride him again, he believes he is a rare talent.

"It was massive," he said. "Getting spares like that is probably a result of keeping at it with the same connections over the years. You might not get anything off a certain trainer for a while but it comes back around and I'd like to think I repaid them.

"All of that aside, it’s nice to get on a horse who could potentially be very, very good. You can’t always take these things literally but look at the distance he beat Weveallbeencaught in October and then this time. He destroyed them. 

"He’s on the up and he’s a very good stayer. He’s very straightforward and, rightly so, everybody’s very excited about him. At a young stage of his career he’s ticked every single box."

Long Distance Hurdle (3.00 Newbury, Friday)

Coral: 10-11 Marie's Rock, 3 Dashel Drasher, Paisley Park, 12 Hugos New Horse, 25 Flight Deck, Mahons Glory

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