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Cheltenham countdown for week of 4 February 2008Filed on 4 Feb 2008 @ 12:07
Countdown to Cheltenham, w/c: 14 January | 21 January | 28 January | 4 February | 11 February | 18 February | 25 February 2008 | 3 March The expert view: Graham Richards' Cheltenham preview, Part one | Champion Hurdle ratings update | Triumph Hurdle ratings update Saturday 9 February 2008Trainer Paul Nicholls ran up a four-timer in the first four races at Newbury on Saturday, headed by Gold Cup hope Denman, who was piloted by Sam Thomas to an effortless success in the Aon Chase. Ollie Magern set a decent early pace, but Denman pulled to the lead and jumped perfectly bar once, when he guessed a little at the cross fence. He came home in his own time 20 lengths clear. A delighted Thomas told Channel 4 Racing: "It was perfect and exactly how I imagined it would be. He jumped perfectly and travelled really well. He had to win like that if he's going to go to the Gold Cup as the second favourite. Nicholls said: "We know he'll improve a fair bit for that, it will just tighten him up. That was just what we wanted. Sam says he was taking the mickey out of him most of the way around. He will just keep improving - mind you he will need to." Earlier Master Minded had won the Game Spirit Chase, leading and kicking clear of a tiring Voy Por Ustedes, who was giving the winner 6lb. Nonetheless, this was an impressive performance and Master Minded has been cut to 3-1 for the Champion Chase at the Festival. Barry Simpson, racing manager for Voy Por Ustedes' owner Sir Robert Ogden, said: "That's not dampened our enthusiasm for Cheltenham. The winner's obviously a very good horse. We were giving him 6lb and I was happy with the run. "He's jumped well and I'm not making excuses, but the tacky ground didn't help him and he needs a proper pace." Nicholls and Walsh had kicked of with victory with Pasco in the toteplacepot Novices' Hurdle and the grey, owned by Terry Warner, dominated throughout and earned quotes of 25-1 or lower for the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle. Nicholls is eyeing the Royal & SunAlliance Cahse for Ornais, who ran out an 18-length winner of the totesport.com Novices' Chase. At Warwick Kruguyrova was a gutsy winner of the Kingmaker Chase, and a delighted Charles Egerton plans to run the mare in the Arkle Trophy. Moon Over Miami ran no sor of race and was later found to have burst a blood vessel, prompting Charlie Mann to say: "He burst a blood vessel on the first circuit but he'll still go for the Arkle. According to the statistics he should win as he runs one bad race and one good one!" Silent Oscar, who beat Ireland's finest hurdlers in the Champion Hurdle at Punchestown on his last start in April, is only 50-50 for the Champion Hurdle after giving himself a knock and missing a few days work. Trainer Harry Rogers told At The Races: "The idea was to have him right for Cheltenham and he was going to run in the AIG beforehand, but because of the ground we didn't run him. "He was fit and ready to run but he had a little bit of a setback last week. We were going to aim him at the Red Mills Hurdle at Gowran Park but it is highly unlikely he will make Gowran now so we'll just have to keep our fingers crossed he makes Cheltenham." Friday 8 February 2008Lord Oaksey's Carruthers winner of a Grade Two at Warwick last month, solidified his credentials for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle with an effortless 25 length win at Bangor in a race won by Dnman two years ago. A potential Jewson Chase contender emerged at kempton on Friday when The Queen's Barbers Shop won the digibet.com Beginners' Chase by 17 lengths for Nicky Henderson and Mick Fitzgerald. Jockey Graham Lee, who broke his jaw in two places when taking a heavy fall at Huntingdon on Thursday, has had an operation, and the prognosis is that he could be back riding ahead of the Festival. His retaining trainer Ferdy Murphy said: "We've got some good news, the surgeon said the breaks were very clean and the surgery went fantastic - they could not be happier with him. The normal process is about six weeks for such an injury but with Graham being a jockey and being as fit as he is that could be shorter." Interviewed on At The Races, trainer Alan King voiced his fears of taking on Inglis Drever with Blazing Bailey in the World Hurdle: "He was beaten by a better horse [when second to Inglis Drever in the Cleeve Hurdle] and if the same Inglis Drever turns up at the Festival we are in trouble. Blazing Bailey will go straight to Cheltenham now, he won't have another run. He's sure to give his running but the champion sets the standard." King also outlined other Festival plans: "Group Captain will go to Exeter on Sunday where I think he will take on Breedsbreeze. He will go there with a view to seeing if he is good enough to go to one of the novice races at Cheltenham. "Katchit goes for the Kingwell a week on Saturday and then hopefully on to the Champion Hurdle. He's had a good break over Christmas but he is back in good form and the Kingwell has always been the target. "Halcon Genelardais will go straight for the Gold Cup, he doesn't want a lot of racing." Nigel Twiston-Davies is looking forward to taking on Voy Por Ustedes with his "exciting" novice chaser Mahogany Blaze in the Game Spirit at Newbury on Saturday, ahead fof a run in the Arkle Trophy. Michael Hourigan's Mossbank - second to Denman in the Lexus Chase - is to head straight for the Ryanair Chase, bypassing the Irish Hennessy for which he had been entered. His owner, Michael O'Leary, is the chief executive of sponsors Ryanair. Nicky Richards' young chaser Money Trix has been ruled out of the Royal & SunAlliance Chase after a "slight problem", but his trainer hopes to get him out again before the end of the season. Thursday 7 February 2008Second season trainer Charlie Longsdon should have his first Festival runners this season - he had hoped to run Kerstino II last year, but the gelding broke a leg on the gallops - and Songe looks sure to line up in a novice hurdle after winning the Chatteris Fen Juvenile Novices' Hurdle at Huntigdon on Thursday. Two novice hurdlers showed their class at Taunton on Thursday, with Nicky Henderson's German import Stellino winning the Somerset Local Medical Committee Maiden Hurdle by an impressive 15 lengths on his hurdling debut. He has been introduced to the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle market at 20-1, but jockey Mick Fitzgerald reported that Liverpool might be a better option for the horse. Pierrot Lunaire won by five lengths for champion trainer Paul Nicholls after being second on debut last week, and is "almost certain" to run in the Triumph Hurlde or the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. Jockey Andrew McNamara has landed the ride on Champion Hurdle favourite Sizing Europe and he reflects on the news here. He has also this season been connected to County Tipperary handler Edward O'Grady, the most successful current Irish trainer at The Festival, and he will also have a number of fancied rides for him. Dual December Grade One winner Sky's The Limit is entered in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase, the Ryanair Chase and The Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase, though the rider suggested that, should the 2006 Coral Cup winner make it back to Prestbury Park, his most likely engagement would be the first-named extended three-mile contest. "Edward O'Grady will probably have a few going. He'll have Indian Spring in the JCB Triumph Hurdle and he has the likes of Peplum and Tranquil Sea entered too. They're running over the weekend, so we'll see how they get on and we'll know more afterwards. Clopf might go for The Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy, but nothing is definite yet. He just got there at Navan the last day but I've been a little bit disappointed with him this season." Among his other possible rides is Siege Of Ennis, though he could clash with one of O'Grady's runners. "Eddie Harty has Siege Of Ennis entered and, if he runs in the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle, I'll ride him but if he runs in the JCB Triumph Hurdle, I'll have to ride Indian Spring instead." Leopardstown sees the Grade One Deloitte Novices' Hurdle on Sunday, a race won by the likes of Istabraq, Brave Inca, Like-A-Butterfly and Solerina in the past. A quality field is due to go to post, with Whatuthink and Forpadydeplasterer due to renew rivalry - the pair met at the track in the Future Champions Novice Hurdle over Christmas, with Whatuthink coming out the better. Forpadydeplasterer's trainer Tom Cooper is hopeful of turning the tables, saying: "All's well for the weekend and I would say you'll see a lot of improvement in my horse. Whatuthink would probably want to be running over further, but we definitely want a bit further. We only have to pull back a beating of a length and a half, so fingers crossed." Forpadydeplasterer is entered in all the novice hurdles at the Festival, but his likely target is the Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle. Charlie Mann trains the second-favourite for the Arkle trophy in Moon Over Miami and he will have his final run beforehand in Saturday's Systems By Design Kingmaker Novices' Chase at Warwick. Mann reports the seven-year-old to be in good form and aniticipates a big run in the race used by Flagship Uberalles and Voy Por Ustedes en route to Festival victory. Trainer Noel Meade had his first runners on Wednesday after a self-imposed shutdown, and he was encouraged by they way they ran at Down Royal. Although he didn't saddle a winner - Willie Mullins had a treble - Meades' Gay Sloane was second in the Bank Of Ireland Business Banking Maiden Hurdle and Back To Bid was second in the Business & Retail Banking Maiden Hurdle. After racing Meade said: "I certainly feel a lot more positive after the way they have been running today and we will probably keep tipping away now. The only one that might not have run that well was Major Hassle and the ground was probably too soft for him. All the rest ran to expectations." Exotic Dancer is back in work after missing the Cotswold Chase with a pulled muscle in his back, but faces a race against time to be ready for the Racing Post Chase at Kempton on 23 February. If traiern Jonjo o'Neill is not satisfied, the gelding will be prepared on the gallops and head to the Gold Cup without a further run. Wednesday 6 February 2008The bumper at Newbury on Saturday is one of the strongest of the season, and Carl Llewellyn's The Old Pretender heads the lineup. An 18 length winner at Huntingdon on his debut, The Old Pretender is the 8-1 second favourite for the Champion Bumper, behind Tom Mullins' Time Electric. Irish trainer Willie Mullins has two high class novice chasers in J'Y Vole and Pomme Tiepy. J'Y Vole is to run in the Grade One Dr. P.J. Moriarty Novice Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday, and Mullins is hoping for a big run. The French import has a useful turn of foot and the Arkle Trophy could be her Festival target. Pomme Tiepy is to be campaigned over three miles, with the Grade Two Ladbroke Ten Up Novice Chase at Leopardstown being her next assignment ahead of a possible crack at the Royal & SunAlliance Chase. Ferdy Murphy's Paddy Power Gold Cup winner L'Antartique is to be dropped in trip in Saturday's Game Spirit Chase at Newbury, where he faces Champion Chaser Voy Por Ustedes. L'Antartique's Festival aim is the Ryanair Chase, and whilst a prep over two miles is not ideal, Murphy feels the move is inevitable given the gelding's prohibitive rating of 155. Tuesday 5 February 2008Trainer Henry Daly is encouraged by the fact that Billyvoddan, fourth to Knowhere in the Cotswold Chase, has come out of the race sound. He told PA Sport: "The two times he ran prior to the Cotswold Chase he came home hopping lame in his hind quarters. However he has come out the race the other day very well and is 100% sound which is a major bonus. I suspect he may go for the Ryanair Chase but we will finalise that nearer the time." Daly scored at Huntingdon recently with the impressive Sherwood Folly, who has been raised 18lbs by the handicapper, and a run in one of the Festivl handicaps is possible if the ground is soft. Tom Taafe is considering the Royal & SunAlliance Chase or the Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase for Finger Onthe Pulse, who was a more than useful runner up to the now-injured Glencove Marina last time. The seven-year-old is being given a break before Cheltenham. Paul Nicholls, the trainer of both Kauto Star and Denman, told the Racing Post: "Everyone knows it would be very difficult for Ruby not to ride Kauto Star again in this year's Gold Cup. "Paul Barber and Harry Findlay, joint-owners of Denman, had a chat yesterday and agreed it would be better to make a decision now regarding Denman which would mean Sam could ride the horse at Newbury on Saturday as well as Cheltenham. "However, should anything happen to Kauto Star, God forbid, between now and Gold Cup day, Ruby, as my stable jockey, would switch to Denman." Monday 4 February 2008Trainer Nicky Henderson has decided his star hurdling mare Amaretto Rose, who holds an entry in the Champion Hurdle, will bypass Saturday's totesport Trophy at Newbury in favour of the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton the following week. Henderson's Afsoun beat Straw Bear at Sandown on Saturday, and the pair are on course to run in the Champion Hurdle with Straw Bear's trainer Nick Gifford saying: "Afsoun is a bit like us on our day. They are good horses but they are probably just a shade below the very top level. We are there to have a go at the top boys and both horses deserve to have a go at the Champion." Triumph Hurdle hope Harper Valley was pulled up in the John Smith's Scottish Triumph Hurdle at Musselburgh, a race won in good style by Howard Johnson's Act Sirius. Johnson had an excellent day at the Scottish track, registering a treble that included a win in the John Smith's Scottish County Hurdle by Astarador, who smashed a bone in a fetlock joint at Haydock when second to Amaretto Rose in January 2007. Jockey Richard Johnson feels the gelding could be just the type for the Coral Cup. Eoin Griffin reckons the longer trip in the David Nicholson Mares' Only Hurdle will suit Lounaos, who disappointed when sent off favourite for the Triumph Hurdle last season. The trainer told At The Races: "She ran quite well last time and we were reasonably happy with her. She'll go for the mares' race at Cheltenham now where I think two and a half miles will probably suit her better. I think she'd gone over the top last year come Cheltenham and this year she'll be going back there a lot fresher." Trainer Thomas Mullins has confirmed that Time Electric, the 6-1 favourite for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper will not run again before the Festival, saying: "He'll go straight to Cheltenham and it should be great. He's a fair tool of the horse." The Tother One won at Sandown on Saturday and his half brother Thisthatandtother had his turn in the spotlight on Sunday, winning the Equine America Hunters' Chase by ten lengths under Nick Sholfield. The 12-year-old is now a 7-2 chance for the Christie's Foxhunter Chase. Kicking King continues in good heart after his fine second on his comeback, but trainer Tom Taafe reckons the Irish Hennessy could come too soon for the former Gold Cup winner, and the Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park is his likely next target. Taafe told At The Races: "I'd be delighted if we can see the three of them (Kauto Star, Denman and Kicking King) all line up for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham. I can only train my own horse and it is a challenge I would really relish if we can get there. "He's a Gold Cup winner, been second in an Arkle and a Supreme Novices' Hurdle. He's definitely a Gold Cup horse if he is back to his best." Exotic Dancer remains likely to run in the Blue Riband following his slight setback, and Star De Mohaison, also owned by Sir Robert Ogden, could well miss the race in favour of a run at Aintree. Ogden also owns Champion Chaser Voy Por Ustedes and racing manager Barry Simpson says he is a better horse at Cheltenham than at Sandown, where he was beaten by Twist Magic in the Tingle Creek. A consistent sort, Voy Por Ustedes is 11-4 favourite to become the first back-to-back winner of the Champion Chase since Viking Flagship. Filed on 4 Feb 2008 @ 12:07
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