'I now need to use this momentum' - Keeley dreaming big after Cambridgeshire win

Aidan Keeley was still struggling to put his Cambridgeshire victory on Majestic into words on Sunday but hopes to use the momentum from Saturday's breakthrough success to move on to bigger and better things.

The apprentice produced the shock of the day at Newmarket when steering the Mick Channon-trained Majestic to victory at 25-1 on his first Rowley Mile ride.

The result came as a surprise to the 21-year-old, who said: "I'm still waiting to come down off a huge high and it’s hard to put into words when you win a race like that.

"It’s a great race to have won and it was amazing to ride at Newmarket during this early part of my career. I’d say that race will be the best win for a while, but I want to try to top it with an even better one."

The Cambridgeshire runs deep in Keeley's family history as his grandfather, Brian Rouse, landed the prize in 1978 and 1980 on Baronet, trained by John Benstead.

Keeley said: "It was good to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather. He's a person I look up to and we watched the race together last night. He was obviously very happy and it was good to put a smile on his face."

Mick Channon: trainer of Cambridgeshire scorer MajesticCredit: Edward Whitaker

Keeley, who is based with Gary Moore, has rode 16 winners this year and has been happy with his progress.

He said: "I’ve had plenty of support this season and there are a lot of trainers backing me and putting me up. I’ve had a steady amount of winners and they’ve all come at the right time.

"I’ve never really had too many winners at once and that has kept me pretty level-headed. There have been bad days along the way, but there have also been plenty of good days and I’m grateful for the opportunities I’m getting."

A trip to Ffos Las for four rides on Sunday completed the weekend for Keeley, who is determined to capitalise on any momentum from his big-race victory.

"Ffos Las is a bit different to riding the winner in the Cambridgeshire, but it’s part of it," he added.

"As a jockey you have to treat each job as the same, especially as an apprentice. It’s important to make sure you’re trying your best no matter where you are.

"Coming off the back of a win in a race like that means confidence is naturally quite high. I now need to use this momentum to keep moving forward and make sure owners and trainers are happy with me."

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