Five wins on the bounce: can this conditional rider maintain his red-hot run of form at Newton Abbot today?
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In his third full season, Freddie Gingell is in hotter form than ever. Incredibly enough, the 18-year-old has won on each of his last five rides, a streak he will attempt to extend at Newton Abbot today.
A couple of those wins were straightforward enough, aboard odds-on shots in novice hurdles for Paul Nicholls, horses that Harry Cobden would probably have ridden if he were not sidelined by a knee injury. It's tempting to think that you or I could win on some of those at this time of year, though we might possibly have to endure 72 consecutive hours in the sauna beforehand.
The Saturday before last, I was admiring Gingell's coolness on Lallygag as he coasted along beside the hard-working Tommie Beau for much of the final circuit of a Newton Abbot handicap hurdle. In the end, he drove the winner right out to score by seven lengths, which was possibly overdoing it, as Lallygag got raised 8lbs. You live and learn.
Gingell also rode a winner over fences for his uncle, Joe Tizzard, recently. Then came Sunday's success at Fontwell on the 7-1 shot State Of Honor, which allowed Gingell to show his stickability in the saddle and also his resilience under pressure.
A loose horse who had disappeared off towards the inside of the course suddenly reappeared at the top of the back straight, veering sharply across the runners' direction of travel and bodyslamming two horses, one of them Gingell's mount.
As State Of Honor was shoved sideways, Gingell was nearly left sitting on air, his right boot poised perilously above the saddle for a second or so before he calmly recovered.
On the run to the final hurdle, Gingell was in front when the loose mare decided to have another go at him, once more veering from the inside of the track towards the outer rail and carrying State Of Honor and another horse with her.
Four strides before take-off, Gingell managed to steer around the loose horse and scrambled over the last obstacle in one piece. Briefly, it looked as though the loose horse would have another go at him but just before contact she straightened up and gave the winner a lead up the hill.
My instinct was to say this shows the jockey's luck is holding - but actually, it's not very lucky to be charged at by the same loose horse three times in one race. That's happened to hardly anybody.
Anyway, Gingell found a way to win despite adverse circumstances. And he has the vocal support of his boss.
"He's a good lad," Nicholls told the Front Runner yesterday, before the Fontwell drama. "He's come through the right background and he rides very well."
While the 14-times champion trainer emphasises that these are early days for Gingell, he is prepared to make an encouraging comparison. "He's really at the same stage Harry Cobden was at this age. Harry had a similar background, came from a farming family, did the pony racing.
"Of course, Harry took it forward, got lots of experience and it's all taken him where he is now." The responsibility lies with Gingell to make sure he follows in those footsteps.
"Given the right opportunities and plenty of experience, I think Freddie's going to be a good lad," Nicholls continues, "and I'm not afraid to use him where I can, when I can.
"If things go right for him and he gets lucky, he'll go a long way. Everyone likes him, he's a hard worker."
Gingell has an obvious chance to extend his streak to six wins in today's opener (2.05) on Paddy De Pole, who is favourite for a small-field handicap hurdle. Later, he'll be on Dancingontheedge as she makes her chasing debut (3.15), for which she's a 5-2 joint-favourite.
Nicholls sounds cautious. "They're basically summer horses. It's going to be their last runs before their winter break and they probably want better ground.
"Paddy De Pole only faces two other runners and sometimes, at this time of year, you've got to take a chance. They'll both come back in the spring."
If Gingell manages to get the double up on those, he then faces a tougher task aboard the Tizzard-trained Ryder's Rock in a mares' handicap hurdle (4.25). She's a maiden after 14 races.
While the young man makes the most of his opportunities, Cobden is expected to be back in time for the quality action now on the horizon.
"I've got very few to run at the moment, until we start at Chepstow next month," Nicholls says. "There's one big meeting at Worcester at the end of September, we've got a few to go there. But other than that, very few to run before Chepstow.
"If Harry didn't ride until Chepstow, I wouldn't worry. We just want him to get 100 per cent fit again."
Who Am I?
Today's clue:
"You could say that my eating habits have changed since I ceased to be a jockey. I'm quite into tiffins now. I love pasta, which I could never eat in my riding days because it's like eating lead. Next time you're carrying a plate of spag bol, try to notice the heft of it. For ex-jockeys, it just feels wrong to be eating something like that. Weight control was a particular issue for me. Sometimes, I'd get so dehydrated, my hands would lock in claw-like positions, which wasn't ideal if I was driving home."
It's the start of a new week in our 'Who Am I?' quiz, based around a different racing personality each week. We'll give you a new clue every day, with the answer revealed on Friday.
Think you know who it is? Email frontrunner@racingpost.com to say who. I'll give a mention to everyone who gets it right.
This week's task won't be quite as tough as last week, when David Klein was first to identify Haydock Sprint Cup-winning jockey Gerald Mosse.
Three things to look out for today
1. Millie Wonnacott has been on a good run since July and has won on her last two rides, including a 22-1 shot on Saturday. She should be full of confidence for her ride on Fact Or Fable in a mile handicap at Brighton today, having won on the grey at Bath last month. Indeed, her form figures on Fact Or Fable this year are 2121 while all other jockeys are 9642457 on Stan Moore's veteran. They probably need the ground to dry up a bit.
2. Wiltshire-based Robbie Llewellyn, who has made such a promising start to his training career, has his first Perth runner today when League Clash lines up in a 2m4f handicap hurdle. The five-year-old had his first start for the yard at Newton Abbot last month and matched his best effort yet, just getting tired on the run-in. He'll be sharper again and the step down in distance seems sensible. Rex Dingle, who was at Fontwell yesterday, travels north for this one ride.
3. With James Fanshawe's yard in such good form, it's interesting to see Help Me Rhonda make her debut for the yard in a 7f handicap at Wolves this evening, having been cheaply bought in mid-July. She showed promise in a handful of starts in Ireland, representing a yard that isn't having its best year. She wears a hood for the first time, so it's worth noting that Fanshawe has a 6/19 record in recent times with runners trying new headgear. He's on a 25 per cent strike-rate with his runners in the past fortnight and his Kind Of Blue was beaten just a head in Haydock's Sprint Cup on Saturday.
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The Front Runner is our unmissable email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, the reigning Racing Writer of the Year, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday. Not a Members' Club Ultimate subscriber? Click here to join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.
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