Bryony Frost: Frodon is absolutely flying at home and a six-time winner at Cheltenham – we’ve got a real chance
MY mate Frode has been going like a rocket up the gallops.
And like me, he just cannot wait for the Cotswold Chase.
The last couple of weeks have been about as frustrating as it gets with all the racing being frozen off.
We have a period like this every winter where we lose a few meetings, but we’ve had two big cold snaps in a little over a month and it’s driving us jockeys up the wall.
But these big days make up for it and I’m really looking forward to Cheltenham with Frodon.
I was gutted we lost Taunton’s card last weekend as we strongly fancied him for the Portman Cup.
I’ve won it a few times in the past on Yala Enki and we thought it was tailor-made for Frode.
The Cotswold is obviously going to be a tougher task — it’s a Grade 2 and there are a couple of serious Gold Cup contenders in here against him.
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Protektorat showed improved form to win the Betfair Chase in November and Noble Yeats is a Grand National winner who has progressed again this year.
But Frodon is in absolutely flying form at home — he might be 11 now, but try telling him that.
He has been bouncing at Ditcheat and we know he loves it around Cheltenham, especially on the New Course, so I’m confident he will run another cracker and do us and the team proud.
He’s won six times at Cheltenham after all. Not many horses have a record like that.
It’s not a huge field, only six, and that probably helps our chances, too.
Lucy Wadham’s Midnight Mary warmed me up at Wetherby on Thursday with a tidy victory in the mares’ handicap chase.
She is a real trier and she battled bravely for me to win from the front fending a few off.
Whenever another horse came to challenge her she found a bit more when it was needed each time.
That was a personal best performance so I’m hoping we can have a bit more fun with her in the coming weeks and months.
It’s gradually warming up and Cheltenham seem pretty positive that Trials Day will go ahead — so I say bring it on!
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