|
|
Cheltenham countdown for 2 March 2009Filed on 2 Mar 2009 @ 09:39
Cheltenham countdown, w/c: 16 February | 23 February | 2 March | 9 March | 16 March . Graham Richards' Cheltenham preview | 2009 Grand National entries Friday 6 March 2009The Million in Mind Partnership's Enfant de Lune was an emphatic winner of the Bet Test Match Cricket - Betdaq Novices' Hurdle at Lingfield on Thursday, proving a class apart when trouncing his opponents by 10 lengths under Robert Thornton. Cheltenham will come too soon as the chestnut missed some work after a skin infection. Anthony Bromley said after the race: "He was a horse we would have liked to have taken to the Supreme at Cheltenham but we ran out of time with him. He will go for a nice race as we think a lot of him. We might have a look at one of the Aintree races, either over two or two and a half miles." Donald McCain is to run last year's David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle winner Whiteoak in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on Tuesday. The trainer told Racing UK: "She showed in the Kingwell that she can travel at speed and jump at speed with some of the best two-milers around. She was always going to come on a bundle for that race as it was quite a rushed job getting her there. Since then she has been working tremendously and she is in the best form we have ever had her. "It's very hard to turn your back on a race you are a short-priced favourite for at the Cheltenham Festival, and it was a very difficult decision. It's a very competitive Champion Hurdle but I think it is very open. I think she goes there with the same chance as the main contenders. She did her last piece of serious work on Wednesday morning and she is very fit. She'll have a school or two but we will just try and keep her healthy now." Mouse Morris is pleased with the comeback made by 2006 Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition and he thinks the 10-year-old is good value in this year's renewal of the race. He told PA Sport: "It's a case of so far so good with the horse and at the moment the ground looks like it should be ideal for him. "We have given him a break since Christmas and that was always going to be plan as that is the way we did things the year he won it. He really seems in very good fettle but whether he is as good as he was it is hard to tell. I guess we'll only find that out on the day. "He is a big price but I think he is good value and he certainly doesn't know what price he is anyway. I wouldn't be taking him over for the fresh air so hopefully he will run his race." Thursday 5 March 2009Willie Mullins has a team some 22 strong for Cheltenham at present, though he expects to whittle that down in the coming days. His strong hand in novices hurdles sees Cousin Vinny, Kempes and Mikael D'Haguenet, whilst Ebaziyan is set for the Champion Hurdle, Golden Silver runs in the Arkle and Cooldine in the RSA Chase. Andy Turnell is reportedly optimistic over Blue Bajan's chances in the Champion Hurdle is the ground next week is good. The trainer told PA Sport: "We just want some decent ground for him and if the ground was good I suppose it would suit one or two others, but our horse is a live outsider. "I would have run him in the Wincanton race (Kingwell Hurdle) last month but I didn't want to pull him about on that soft ground. Once that was out we were always going to go straight to Cheltenham. "He had a slight sore foot a while back but it hasn't really affected his preparation and he is fine now. He did his final bit of work on Wednesday morning and it all went very well." Wednesday 4 March 2009The Nicky Henderson-trained Binocular heads 24 acceptors for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham next Tuesday. The five-year-old is chasing a £200,000 bonus offered by Irish bookmakers Boylesports having taken the Boylesports.com International on his latest appearance at Ascot in December and is currently the warm favourite to give the master of Seven Barrows a fourth success in the championship event following See You Then’s hat-trick in 1985, 1986 and 1987. Henderson could also run last year’s third Punjabi. However, Binocular is set to face some stiff opposition, with four previous winners of the race also among today’s acceptors - the 2004 and 2005 scorer Hardy Eustace, 2006 victor Brave Inca, the 2007 winner Sublimity and Katchit, triumphant 12 months ago. Other leading contenders include last year’s JCB Triumph Hurdle winner Celestial Halo, who is aiming to give champion trainer Paul Nicholls his first Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle success and the David Pipe-trained Osana, runner-up behind Katchit last year. Another Festival winner from 2008 out to record a second success at Jump racing’s greatest event is Crack Away Jack, successful in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle last year. There are 10 Irish-trained acceptors. In addition to the aforementioned Hardy Eustace and Brave Inca, these also include the 2005 runner-up Harchibald, last seasons’s leading novice Jered, Won In The Dark, third to Celestial Halo in the JCB Triumph Hurdle last season and Sizing Europe, who disappointed when starting favourite in 2008. Action gets underway on Tuesday with the traditional curtain-raiser, the £120,000 williamhill.com Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (1.30pm) for which there are 30 acceptors, headed by the 2008 Weatherbys Champion Bumper victor Cousin Vinny while in the £170,000 The Irish Independent Arkle Trophy Challenge Trophy Chase (2.05pm) 19 go forward including Henrietta Knight’s highly-regarded Calgary Bay and the Paul Nicholls-trained duo of I’msingingtheblues and Tatenen. Tuesday, March 10, also plays host to highly-competitive handicap action, beginning with the £90,000 William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase (2.40pm), where 44 go forward and the unique £50,000 Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeplechase (4.00pm) has attracted 27, including a quintet from Cross Country specialist Enda Bolger - last year’s winner Garde Champetre, 2007 victor Heads Onthe Ground, L’Ami, Drombeag and Freneys Well, who are all owned by J P McManus. The opening day reaches a fascinating climax with the second running of the £100,000 David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle (4.40pm), for which last year’s heroine Whiteoak is one of 22 acceptors. The Donald McCain-trained six-year-old is also still engaged in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle. Coral Welsh National winner Notre Pere will miss the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup next week ater encountering a minor setback. Trainer Jim Dreaper told PA Sport: "He's had a minor setback and he will not be running in the Gold Cup. He's going to have to miss work for this week and he will run as soon as he's ready. "It came at absolutely the wrong time but he'll be back and we will just have to see about Aintree. He's entered in the Grand National because obviously you have to be from the outset but none of us are actually very keen to do it this year. "He'll tell us when he is right again and we will make a decision on where we go from there." Tuesday 3 March 20092006 Champion Hurdle winner Brave Inca prepared for this year's renewal of the race with a workout at Leopardstown on Monday. Trainer Colm Murphy told PA Sport: "Brave Inca had a workout over a mile and a half and we were delighted with him. Please God, that should leave him fairly right for Cheltenham now. "We would like a bit of rain but I would like to think he is going over there with a realistic chance of picking up some prize-money." Reigning Gold Cup winner Denman worked at Ditcheat, pleasing his co-owner Harry Findlay, who told At The Races: "He worked well on Saturday morning on the all-weather gallop but this morning was much more important as the plan was always to school him over the outdoor fences. "I think lethargy as much as anything has been the problem with Denman, certainly with those first couple of fences at Kempton, so today was very important. Sam Thomas rode him and he worked with Dear Villez and Eurotrek, going over a couple of fences four or five times. He looked really enthusiastic, jumped very well and the last couple of times he seemed to have plenty of zip between the obstacles. "The best thing about it for everyone was the enthusiasm he showed. He is a real character but he looked very happy this morning and barring any accident, he will be a runner in the Gold Cup." Willie Mullins is likely to send Snowy Morning straight to Aintree to contest the Grand National, a race in which he was third last year. Well beaten by Black Apalachi in the Bobbyjo Chase recently, Mullins hopes better spring ground will help his nine-year-old. Dessie Hughes has confirmed that Hardy Eustace is set to run in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle next week - the 12-year-old's seventh successive appearance at the Festival. Reynoldstown Vhase winner Carruthers will run in the RSA Chase. His trainer Mark Bradstock told PA Sport: "Everybody is making a big furore about the fact that he ran disappointingly at Cheltenham last year and people are saying he can't run well there. That is pretty much the only disappointing run of his career and he was only a five-year-old and had had five runs before that. "He has purposely had an easier campaign this year and he is in very good form at home. It is Cheltenham and is going to be competitive but we just hope our horse can produce his best on the day, that's the idea." Monday 2 March 2009A large number of Cheltenham contenders have had racecourse gallops over the weekend. At Leopardstown on Sunday, the Willie Mullins-trained Sicilian Secret jumped to the head of the Champion Bumper market in places after working well and getting the better of Quel Esprit. Mullins summarised the work of his charges thus: "Ruby was happy with Kempes but said he needed it. Ruby blamed himself for Cooldine missing the last but the horse righted himself and in the main jumped well. "I didn't bring Quinola des Obeaux as he has done plenty at home and Cousin Vinny worked very well yesterday morning as did Mikael D'Haguenet. Both are in the picture but there is no decision about which races they run in." Sublimity stretched clear of his work companion in pleasing style under Philip Carberry, and JCB Triumph Hurdle hope Ebadiyan had a pipe opener. Noel Meade was delighted with Jered, off the track since November, who goes for the Champion Hurdle. The trainer also reported Harchibald to be in great shape. During racing earlier in the afternoon, 2007 Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Ebaziyan booked his berth in the Champion Hurdle with victory in the Ballsbridge Hurdle. Dessie Hughes' Shirley Casper could run in the David Nicholson mares' Hurdle after winnning the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden Hurdle. Charlie Mann galloped Gold Cup hopeful Air Force One on the all-weather at Kempton on Sunday. "He enjoyed it, he looks fantastic and I'm pleased with him. Noel Fehily rode him, he was delighted with him and we're looking forward to a week on Friday," Mann told PA Sport. "He had a lead horse with him and they did a mile and a half on the all-weather. It wasn't for fitness, it was just to get him out for the day. It was great and he enjoyed it. It worked really well." The Queen's Barbers Shop went "extremely well" at Newbury for Nicky Henderson, who is hopeful of a big run in the Gold Cup. Barbers Shop worked with Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle entry Mad Max and World Hurdle fancy Punchestowns. Alan Fleming was delighted with JCB Triumph Hurdle hope Starluck, unbeaten in three starts over hurdles. Howard Johnson was pleased with Tidal Bay after a gallop at Doncaster and a run in either the Ryanair Chase or the Champion Chase now looks more likely. Ferdy Murphy's Arkle entry Kalahari King was another to impress at Doncaster. Filed on 2 Mar 2009 @ 09:39
|
|
|||||
|
||||||
![[the-racehorse.co.uk]](/images/logo-racehorse-footer.gif){kind=logo}