Sean Levey Saturday rides blog: 'I'm definitely looking forward to getting back on him'

Sean Levey has a busy day of horse racing on July 12 with seven rides at Ascot. He previews them all, including the Summer Mile with Haatem, who he speaks really highly of, in his latest blog.

Battle Apple is doing everything right at home and is ready to start now. Seven furlongs will suit him, and how he gets on here will tell us a lot about what we can do and where we can go with him next.

It was a great win for Haatem last time out at Ascot. We've got a very versatile horse here, who did well in stepping up to a mile and a quarter, and obviously he's stepping back to a mile here, but it's a good opportunity for him to get another win under his belt. 

The favourite [Never So Brave] was equally impressive at Ascot as well last month, but Haatem is very much a favourite of ours. He never disappoints, and I think he'll go very close. The front four in the betting might look pretty close, and obviously Never So Brave is the standout one, given the way he won at Ascot. My Cloud won under circumstances that suited him on the day; I'm not sure he's going to get those again this weekend. Quddwah won in France a couple of months ago, but he was easily beaten in the Queen Anne - so out for all of them, for me, Never So Brave is the standout. The other two would have to find a bit, I think.

For me, a good day at Ascot this weekend looks like this: Haatem wins the summer mile, and the rest are a bonus! If I could only ride one horse tomorrow, Haatem would be the one. Last time I sat on him, we won the Craven - there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting back on him.

Diamond Bay is a very straightforward horse to work with, and he did really well to get his head in front at Goodwood a couple of starts ago. He's probably at his level as far as the handicap mark is concerned. But at a track like Ascot, he could find a little bit of improvement, which I'd think he'll need here.

It's my first time riding Rockin' The Boat for David Menuisier, but I'm looking forward to seeing what she does for us this weekend. Finishing in third last time out at Sandown was probably a little bit disappointing in the end, especially as she lost a little towards the finish, but I'm hoping the conditions at Ascot will suit her and she can improve on that last run.

Houstonn is a horse who we thought was at a workable handicap mark at the start of the year, but he doesn't seem to be quite running to his best at the moment. That being said, everything should suit him on Saturday, as far as conditions are concerned. There's no doubt we're still looking for improvement, though.

Woodhay Wonder ran well at Ascot last month - she's got good form here, and the trip is perfect for her. She found the task a little bit too difficult last time, though, and was well beaten by a tough field. We're hoping this one is going to be a little bit easier for her.

Great won at Windsor last time and I'd expect him to find this step-up in trip more to suit than the last time we tried it with him. He struggled early on over six furlongs before coming home strongly to get his head in front so, like I say, we're hopeful he finds that step up in trip to be of benefit for him, especially on a stiff track. He's a really nice horse, running in his first handicap, so I suppose we'll see just how competitive he can be.

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