Dwyer returns hoping to find some hidden gems

Mar 21 2008 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

AS a father of two, Martin Dwyer will know all about Easter Egg hunts, but on his return from Dubai for the new Flat season this Bank Holiday weekend he will hoping to unearth a few hidden gems himself.

The Merseyside-born rider has been out in the Middle East for much of winter, riding in the ever-growing racing events in Dubai in his role as second jockey to Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum.

The Dubai Carnival reaches its conclusion next weekend with the World Cup meeting, and the 33-year-old will return for it. But for now Dwyer is in England as the Flat season begins tomorrow with the traditional curtain-raiser, the William Hill Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster.

The Everton-supporting rider will not be in Yorkshire, but will start his season in slightly low-key fashion on the all-weather with two rides at Kempton, Espy and Hessian, tomorrow.

It is more a case of easing himself back for the long season ahead. And he hopes his time in Dubai can help him have another successful year.

He said: “It has been going all right out in Dubai, but it is back to the grindstone from now on.

“It is a good way of life out there, the weather is fantastic and it is a great place. My family come out to see me – they are backwards and forwards in school terms. The kids love it out there.

“It is a break from the summer schedule when you are flat out every day during the season.

“The quality of the racing in Dubai is getting better every year. It is good racing and the big thing for us is there is no travelling which is the opposite to what we have here. And you are riding two, three days a week and it is very enjoyable.

“It keeps you fit and sharp during the winter without really taking too much out of you.

“There are times during the season when you don’t feel 100%. But it is always good to get back into it. It is what I love doing and I can’t wait for the season to really start to get going.”

He added: “It is always nice to try and ride 100 winners, I didn’t manage to do it last year, but I have in the past. That is an aim, but with my job I tend to want to ride at the better and bigger meetings more, looking for quality horses rather than the amount of winners.

“The way racing has gone there is more and more of it, but it tends to be of a lower quality. And while that may be okay, I would rather be riding better horses in better races than travelling all around the country non-stop. You always want to ride good horses.”

As yet he doesn’t know if there are potential Classic winners or Group One performers in the stables he rides for. But for now he is just happy to be back to try and find them.

Having won two Classics – the Oaks on Casual Look in 2003 and the Derby on Sir Percy two years ago – the early few weeks of the season are about seeing if there are any horses of similar quality to light up the Flat season.

He said: “Compared to previous years there is not one horse or a few horses you look at and think I have got a chance of winning a Classic unlike in previous years. We are hoping we can find some new youngsters. Marcus (Tregoning) didn’t really have a lot of quality with them last year.

“But obviously Sheikh Hamdan has got a lot of good horses and there are one or two of his three-year-old colts that might come through and prove up to winning some of the big races.

“The beauty of this time of the season is there is so much potential and to look forward to.”

Dwyer pointed to Tajaaweed – who was 10th behind one of the favourites for both 2,000 Guineas and Derby, Ibn Kaldun in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster at the end of last season – as a horse with possibilities to develop.

The Dynaformer colt is entered in the Derby and Dwyer said: “The horse I rode in the Racing Post Trophy, Tajaaweed for Michael Stoute, although I haven’t had the chance to sit on him so far this year, Richard (Hills) tells me he looks well. Hopefully he can develop into a nice horse and do well.

“It is part of the job that Richard being first jockey to Sheikh Hamdan he gets first choice, but it doesn’t always work out that he will be on the best horse.

“Sheikh Hamdan has a lot of good horses to go round and that is a big plus of the job.

“At this time of the year racing doesn’t really get started properly for a few weeks and for now it is really all about getting around all the yards and riding out. Trying to find out about the horses we have got – trying to find out a bit more about them.

“All the young horses and the three-year-olds that we might aim at the Classics we need to get to know more about them and getting a feel for them on the gallops to see if they have progressed.

“The potential is always there and we will see what we have got to go to war with.”

Daily Post racing correspondent Chris Wright finished eighth of 52 in the Coral Racing Post Naps table for the jumps season with a £1 level stakes profit of £1.79 – one of only nine national and regional tipsters to record a profit in the competition. It followed on from his impressive Cheltenham Festival profit of more than £29 to a £1 stake on his 25 selections.

Follow his selections for the Flat competition in the Liverpool Daily Post from tomorrow and at the forthcoming John Smith’s Grand National meeting.