'You worry that everyone's looking at you like an idiot' - Ascot redemption for amateur jockey Charlie Case

Few who witnessed Shishkin refuse to race in Saturday's 1965 Chase would have sympathised more with Nico de Boinville than amateur jockey Charlie Case, who ended his 1,087-day wait for a domestic winner under rules later on Ascot's card.

Shishkin was left at the start in the Grade 2 on his intended seasonal debut, a fate similar to what Case experienced when he was unseated from Midnightreflection at Chepstow four weeks ago.

Midnightreflection made the near 200-mile round trip from the Cheltenham Festival-winning Edgcote yard of Case's father Ben for her reappearance, but the mare whipped round at the start and unshipped her rider.

Case kept the ride on the eight-year-old when she was a creditable second of 12 at Ludlow over an inadequate 2m5f trip nine days later, before the pair were sent off an 11-2 chance for the 2m7½f mares' handicap hurdle at the weekend.

Midnighreflection got the better of the Johnny Burke-ridden Whitehotchillifili by a nose in a thrilling photo-finish to provide Case with his first winner in Britain since landing back-to-back runnings of an amateur riders' race at Wincanton aboard Kilbrew Boy in December 2020.

'They're 500kg animals and there's only so much you can do'

Reflecting on an eventful few weeks, Case said: "I was pretty miserable for the next few days [after Chepstow].

"Riding against the pros you worry that everyone's looking at you like an idiot and thinking it's a bloody amateur riding against pros and that's why the horse has done that. Hopefully Saturday showed that I'm well able to compete.

"Johnny was actually the first one to come over and talk to me at Chepstow and said 'you were real unlucky and no-one's sitting on that, it's just one of those things'. It's ironic that after being so nice then, I went and chinned him at Ascot with the same horse!

"I was just lucky the owners and Dad let me have a second go at Ludlow. It could happen to anyone – as shown on Saturday with Nico and Shishkin. There's nothing you can do if a horse decides for whatever reason they don't fancy it on the day. They're 500kg animals and there's only so much you can do."

Case earned a ride of a week award when landing a £30,000 chase aboard Argyll at Hastings during a stint in New Zealand last summer after completing a real estate degree at Oxford Brookes University.

On his biggest domestic success, for which he received a seven-day whip ban, the 24-year-old said: "Midnightreflection had a few screws put in her back leg after a fall at Cheltenham and I think probably last season she wasn't at her best coming back from that.

"I'll take that all day to ride a Saturday winner at Ascot, as embarrassing as it is. I've been lucky enough to ride there a few times before. I had a second on Graceful Legend, so I've had good fortune round there. To ride a winner there is pretty unbelievable.

"You don't get to ride at those sort of meetings every day on the same card as big Graded races. I know Shishkin didn't turn up on Saturday, but to be on the same card as him is pretty special.

Charlie Case in the Ascot winner's enclosure with owners and family after Midnightreflection's successCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

"Mum, dad, my sister and a good few of the owners were there, which brought them all a lot of joy because it's been a journey for them."

Case is likely to continue the partnership with Midnightreflection at another major meeting on Desert Orchid Chase day at Kempton next month in a race his father won with Coded Message in 2019.

"Hopefully with that winner in the bank dad might let me on a few more," he added.

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