Lucinda Russell is happy with Ahoy Senor ahead of his run in the feature Fitzdares Fleur de Lys Chase at Windsor on Sunday.
The 2m6f chase is the highlight of the third day of the Berkshire Winter Million concept and with likely opposition including Protektorat and Djelo, it looks a tough assignment for the mercurial 10-year-old.
However, while Russell concedes we're not quite at the best time of year for Ahoy Senor just yet, he is showing his old spark at home in Scotland.
She said on the : “His best time of year is always the spring, whether it’s because it takes until then to get him fit or it’s the ground, I think it’s probably the ground and the spring and everything, that’s probably when he’s at his best.
“But having said that he’s been in great form at home, I think the trip will suit him and I think the ground could dry out a little bit.
“He seems in super form, Derek [Fox] has been very happy with him.”
Regular rider Fox has held up the son of Dylan Thomas in his two starts so far this season, with a degree of success when he was a staying-on third at Aintree but things didn’t go to plan in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase last time.
“We decided at the end of last season we can’t keep on making it with him,” Russell said. “So we wanted to see if we could hold him up. It worked a treat at Aintree really, even if he was outpaced, but he stayed on nicely and for me it was a very pleasing run.
“I think we can do that but he’s not one dimensional and I’ll leave it to Derek. We made a mistake trying to do the same on heavy ground at Haydock.
“We definitely keep the faith, if the ground dries I’d keep the faith even stronger. His season revolves around Cheltenham and Aintree, but the trip seems right, I've no idea about the track and he seems definitely in the right place."
More from Sporting Life
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at and .
