FROM the highs of nearly winning a classic on Lightning Thunder in May to my contract not being renewed by Qatar Racing in August, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster season.

As a result, I am now looking forward to the winter in the Middle East and a bit of a fresh start. I am delighted to say I will be based with Saeed bin Suroor for the UAE season, and will also be flying to nearby Qatar to ride for Julian Smart and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani.

Taraf ran an absolute cracker in the Qatar Arabian Trophy Des Juments at Longchamp last Saturday as we were beaten just a short-head for the €150,000 pot. She had been in great form, having won her last two races, and handled the step up in class brilliantly. I finished out the back on Al Anga in the Qatar Arabian World Cup at Longchamp on the Sunday - a race won by Djainka Des Forges, whom I had ridden to win an Arabian Group 1 at Newbury in August. Unfortunately for me, the Sheikh’s retained jockey, Christophe Lemaire, took the ride and a slice of the €500,000 pot!

I was delighted to see Treve win, given all that she had been through this season. She had been written off by most, including myself, but proved what a brilliant filly she is, and what a genius trainer Criquette Head-Maarek is.

There was another eye-catching winner at the weekend in the shape of Peace And War, who defied the odds and her inexperience to win the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland in the US.

I rode her to win on her debut at Lingfield and if someone had told me immediately afterwards that she would go on to comfortably win a top-level race just three outings later, I would have struggled to believe them.

But I’m delighted for Olly Stevens, who deserves a big win like this, and all credit to him for pinpointing the race.

I am at Wolverhampton today for five rides - the pick of them may be Medicean Bliss in the first division of the five-furlong maiden.

I have enjoyed some good days on another Jeremy Gask-trained Medicean progeny, Medicean Man, and while this filly doesn’t look in his league, she showed enough promise when I finished second on her last time over the course and distance.

I was a big fan of Detroit City, the top-class hurdler, who won the Cesarewitch eight years ago, and I reckon the same connections of trainer Philip Hobbs and owner Terry Warner can follow up with Big Easy at Newmarket. His second in the Cesarewitch trial will have put him absolutely spot on for this.