Queens Gamble on course for Market Rasen Listed date

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Oliver Sherwood’s highly-promising bumper mare Queens Gamble is headed for Market Rasen later in the month.

The five-year-old has been seen twice on track so far, making her debut in a Cheltenham mares’ contest in April and triumphing by an impressive 10 lengths.

In November she returned to the same track to contest a Listed heat and flew home under Jonathan Burke to win by eight lengths.

The chestnut was then intended to line up for another Listed event at Huntingdon last month, but a slightly unsatisfactory scope ruled her out of that engagement.

The Alan Swinbank mares’ bumper at Market Rasen will now be her next port of call provided conditions are not too testing, after which Queens Gamble will be aimed at the Cheltenham Festival.

Queens Gamble
Queens Gamble (David Davies/PA)

“We gave her a bit of a break after we didn’t run at Huntingdon because her trachea wash wasn’t 100 per cent,” Sherwood said.

“She’s just coming back into action now, she doesn’t take a lot of work, luckily.

“The aim is to go, hopefully, to Market Rasen on January 20.

“That’s the plan, but if the ground was to come up very testing then we wouldn’t run and we’d go straight to Cheltenham.”

The Market Rasen bumper, a Listed race, has become a target for Willie Mullins as the leading Irish trainer has made a habit of sending a filly over to Lincolnshire in recent years.

“It is what it is, I’m more worried about my own horses, let alone other people’s!” said Sherwood of the prospect.

“If they come, they come, but I’ve been friends with Willie for a long time so I’d be delighted to see him there – not that he’d show up!

“It’s just exciting to have a nice mare like her, fingers crossed the ground doesn’t get too testing.”

Promising Gentle Slopes suffers season-ending setback

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Milton Harris has been dealt another injury blow as promising hurdler Gentle Slopes has been ruled out for the season.

Having already seen last season’s Grade One-winning juvenile hurdler Knight Salute sidelined, it is a bitter blow to the Warminster yard, as Gentle Slopes had shown plenty of promise in winning a competitive Cheltenham bumper in November.

A £90,000 purchase on the back of a point-to-point win, the Anwar Badri-owned Gentle Slopes won in good style on his Sedgefield debut, before being held by Encanto Bruno at Cheltenham on his second start.

His four-length success over School Days Over on his return to Prestbury Park brought forth quotes for the Champion Bumper.

Switched to hurdling for his next run, he was a beaten favourite when third to Attacca in a Cheltenham novices’ heat last month, but was well supported to bounce back in the Ballymore Maiden Hurdle when upped to an extended two and a half miles at Cheltenham on Sunday.

However, having travelled well to the home turn, he dropped away tamely under Sean Bowen and was beaten over 27 lengths by Weveallbeencaught.

Harris revealed: “Gentle Slopes is out for the season. That’s the nature of racing.

Milton Harris will step Twinjets up in class for his next run
Milton Harris will step Twinjets up in class for his next run (Mike Egerton/PA)

“I thought something was wrong, as he dropped out. He just picked up an injury, but he’s gone for the year.”

The yard gained some compensation with a Plumpton double on Monday, with Harry Cobden partnering both Twinjets and El Muchacho and to success.

Twinjets, who took an extended two-and-a-half-mile novice hurdle to supplement his earlier Leicester success, will now move to deeper waters.

Harris said: “He has a double penalty now, so he will have to go up in grade.

“I’m tempted to go for the two-mile-five-furlong Graded race at Warwick (Grade Two Ballymore Leamington Novices’ Hurdle, January 14) or there’s the (Grade Two) Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle on Cheltenham Trials day on January 28 – nothing dramatic, but he’s good.

“He’s a galloper and is improving. Gentle Slopes is a bit better, though, so it is a shame he is gone for the year.”

With Knight Salute also sidelined, the yard will rely on Scriptwriter to provide star quality in the coming months.

The Mark and Maria Adams-owned four-year-old is Britain’s leading Triumph Hurdle hope after supplementing his two hurdle wins with another success, in a mile-and-a-half all-weather Flat handicap at Wolverhampton on Friday evening.

Having taken his tally to three wins since being bought out of Aidan O’Brien’s yard, he is now set to have at least one more spin before the Festival meeting in March.

Harris said: “Scriptwriter is due to go to Cheltenham for the Trials Day on January 28 and if that doesn’t happen, due to ground conditions or whatever, he’ll go to the Adonis at Kempton.”

In the longer term, Harris could return to the Flat with the 62,000 guineas purchase.

He added: “He’s a good horse and he’s pretty unexposed on the Flat. We’ll protect his handicap mark as much as possible, but you couldn’t rule out something like the Ebor with him next season.”

‘Almost certainly’ straight to Cheltenham now for Constitution Hill

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Nicky Henderson is set to chart a direct route to Cheltenham with Unibet Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill.

The six-year-old is the 1-5 market leader for the Festival highlight in March after another wide-margin success in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, routing stablemate Epatante by 17 lengths – an increase of five lengths on his Fighting Fifth verdict over the crack mare.

Henderson had mentioned the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock on January 21 as a possible stopping point for his star hurdler, while the Irish Champion Hurdle takes place at Leopardstown on February 5. But neither option looks likely now.

The Seven Barrows handler would have been keen to run at Cheltenham had the International Hurdle that was originally scheduled for December 10 been resurrected, but that is not a possibility, despite Henderson raising the idea.

He told Nick Luck’s Daily Podcast: “We’ve ummed and ahhed a fair bit, I did have what I thought was quite a bright idea but it doesn’t quite come off and I can understand why, but I did sort of enquire whether we might have the International Hurdle that was abandoned rescheduled on Trials Day at Cheltenham.

“If that had been possible I would have gone there with him, but I really don’t like the idea of Haydock and so I think almost certainly Constitution Hill will not run again before Cheltenham.

“He’s obviously very good fresh, he was very good the first time this year in the Fighting Fifth. Last year we went from the Tolworth to Cheltenham and you couldn’t have had him any better so I really don’t see any point, there’s nothing to be gained.

“I might have an open day or something so people can come and see him – I would have thought that was a possibility.”

Epatante is a previous Champion Hurdle winner
Epatante is a previous Champion Hurdle winner (David Davies/PA)

Epatante won the Champion Hurdle in 2020 and finished third and second to Honeysuckle in subsequent renewals, but having been comprehensively beaten twice by Constitution Hill, her future plans have yet to be decided – with similar comments applied to Relkeel Hurdle third First Street.

Henderson added: “We haven’t discussed (Cheltenham) with Epatante yet, we will see what she does. First Street is a difficult one – I mean where does he go? He’s on the verge of it, but he didn’t stay two and a half on that ground on the weekend. You would enter him anyway. He’s a very decent horse.”

Seven Barrows houses the Relkeel victor Marie’s Rock, who is on course to defend her Mares’ Hurdle title at the Festival before a potential step up to three miles in the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree.

Marie’s Rock won the Relkeel on New Year's Day
Marie’s Rock won the Relkeel on New Year’s Day (David Davies/PA)

Henderson said: “What I would really like to do with her is go to Cheltenham, I would love her to defend her title, and then I would seriously think about going to Aintree and trying her over three.

“We’ve always talked about it and everything did go swimmingly well, you find Constitution Hill coming into the the two-and-a-half-mile at Aintree.

“Are we tempted to put her in the Stayers’ (at Cheltenham)? The answer is probably no, we would stick to the Mares’ and then (look at Aintree) not just because of Constitution Hill, but because we’ve genuinely always discussed whether she would stay three.”

Jonbon will head to Warwick for his Festival prep
Jonbon will head to Warwick for his Festival prep (Steven Paston/PA)

Jonbon was 22 lengths behind Constitution Hill when second in the Supreme last season, but has made a seamless switch to fences this campaign, cruising to victory on his chasing bow at Warwick before sealing a ready eight-length verdict upped to Grade One level at Sandown at the beginning of December.

A Warwick return on February 11 is now his agenda.

Henderson said: “Jonbon will go to the Kingmaker at Warwick which is the only race he can run in really. He’s been round there once and it’s a good jumping test – I think that would do him good.”

Former two-mile star Shishkin is set to step up in trip at Kempton later this month after a disappointing return in the Tingle Creek, with Henderson not even entering him for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham, instead opting to put him in the two-and-a-half-mile Ryanair Chase, plus the three-and-a-quarter-mile Cheltenham Gold Cup.

He added: “The plan at the moment is to go to Kempton on Saturday week for the Silviniaco Conti over two and a half miles.”

Energumene and Edwardstone top Clarence House contenders

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Energumene and Edwardstone are the headline acts in eight entries for the Sbk Clarence House Chase at Ascot on January 21.

The two-mile showpiece produced one of the races of the season 12 months ago, when Shishkin got the better of the Willie Mullins-trained Energumene following an epic duel.

But there will be no repeat as Shishkin does not have an entry this year, with Nicky Henderson instead looking to step up in trip.

Tingle Creek winner Edwardstone is on course for Alan King, having unseated at Kempton over Christmas. King has a second string to his bow in the shape of Messire Des Obeaux, who has not run since finishing third to L’Homme Presse at Ascot in December 2021.

Funambule Sivola ran a career-best in the Champion Chase when second to Energumene and Venetia Williams’ charge could take the Irish runner on again.

Fugitif (Richard Hobson), Amarillo Sky (Joe Tizzard), Minella Drama (Donald McCain) and Sizing Pottsie (David Pipe) complete the list of possibles.

Any Second Now on course for third crack at National glory

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Ted Walsh believes Any Second Now will need plenty of luck to go one better than last year and win the Grand National.

The JP McManus-owned gelding was third behind Minella Times in the Aintree spectacular in 2021 and runner-up last year to Noble Yeats.

And Walsh, who saddled Papillon to victory in the race 23 years ago, knows the just-turned 11-year-old will do well to give him a second success.

Any Second Now returned to action over hurdles at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve, showing his well-being with a fair second to Saint Sam over an extended two miles and three furlongs.

It was the first step to another crack at the extended four-and-a-quarter-mile Grade Three prize at Aintree, and Walsh was satisfied with the performance.

He said: “He ran all right. That was what we expected him to do. He is going to be competing at the top table, so you want to be running well.

“He was due to run a couple of times earlier on, but each race was called off, so he was a little bit more advanced than he was for his first run last year. He’s grand, has taken it well and has taken everything in his stride from day one.

“He will definitely run twice more and maybe have three more runs before Aintree.

“He’s not after prize-money, but there’s nothing like a bit of competition.”

Ted Walsh feels it will be hard for Any Second Now to win the Grand National
Ted Walsh feels it will be hard for Any Second Now to win the Grand National (Mike Egerton/PA)

Walsh will undertake a familiar preparation towards a return to the Merseyside track in April, with Any Second Now likely to revert to fences next time.

“He might run at Leopardstown or he might run at Gowran Park at the end of the month, and he might run somewhere else after that,” said Walsh.

“He might run over fences, I don’t know if he’ll run over hurdles again. I’ll see what suits him, but he won’t run anywhere for a month.

“He’ll run somewhere in January, somewhere in February and somewhere in March. He’ll run at least twice, maybe three times.

“He’s quite a clear horse. I just think that’s the right preparation – maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong, but that’s what I’m doing, anyway.

“I don’t have a set pattern. Some horses take plenty and some horses don’t. He is lightly raced. He is in his seventh year here now and he’s has no more than 30 runs in his life.”

A gallant third after being badly hampered in the 2021 National, 12 months on and 7lb higher, he managed to push Noble Yeats to within a little over two lengths.

Yet the County Kildare handler feels last season’s Bobbyjo Chase winner will do well to replicate his previous good form at Aintree this year.

“He’s been unlucky not to win a National, but he probably won’t win one at this stage,” admitted Walsh.

“He was a bit unlucky the year they called it off because of Covid (2020) – he was well handicapped and is about 20lb higher now.

“Then he was unlucky to be (nearly) brought down in the year that (jockey) Rachael Blackmore won it. I’m not saying he would have won it, but he was unlucky.

“Then he was unlucky to run up against a well-handicapped young horse on the up last year.

Papillon, trained by Ted Walsh and ridden by his son, Ruby, landed the Grand National in 2000
Papillon, trained by Ted Walsh and ridden by his son, Ruby, landed the Grand National in 2000 (Owen Humphreys/PA)

“Worse horses have won the National. I know better horses have as well, but if luck had bounced his way, he could have won one.

“I doubt he can win one. I couldn’t see it. He has gone up a long way in the handicap and he’s certainly not going to get any better at 11 than he was at nine and 10.”

There has not been a winner of the National aged 10 or over since 11-year-old Pineau De Re scored in 2014 and Walsh says the lowering of the fences and the compression of the handicap in recent years has made the race a different test than in previous times.

“The National is not like it was,” he added. “When Red Rum won it, it wasn’t like when Reynoldstown won it. And when Tiger Roll won it, it wasn’t like when Red Rum won it.

“The last National to be run without aprons was in 1963 when Ayala won it. The National had no take-offs in front of the fences when he won it.

“These days, you don’t even know they are jumping Becher’s (Brook) now unless the commentator tells you they are jumping it. Nobody would know. They don’t even nod at the back of it.

Ted Walsh will hope he can land another Grand National 23 years after his first
Ted Walsh will hope he can land another Grand National 23 years after his first (PA)

“I’m old fashioned. I don’t think the changes are a good thing, but that’s neither here nor there. It is what it is.

“It is more of a stamina test than it was 20 years ago – a lot more. They never take the foot off the pedal.

“Years ago, the first thing all the jockeys will tell you is that they would hunt around the first round and then ride a race. Now they just jump out and it’s go-go-go.”

Slattery thrilled with Sir Allen – and eyeing Cheltenham

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Andrew Slattery’s Sir Allen is en route to one of two Cheltenham Festival options after his eyecatching Punchestown success.

The four-year-old was trained by Slattery on the Flat as a two- and three-year-old before making his hurdling debut in December.

Second in a Cork maiden at the first time of asking, the gelding then went on to claim a competitive 20-runner maiden at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve.

Defeating Gordon Elliott’s Calico by two lengths, Sir Allen jumped fluently and showed promise among a large field filled with runners from the leading stables.

“We were thrilled, from the first time he jumped a hurdle he showed he liked it and it was great that he carried that onto the track,” Slattery said.

“He’s done what he was showing at home. He had a good run at Cork, we thought he’d improve from that and he did, I’d say.

“He’s a lovely horse who’ll jump a fence in time. He was well capable of winning more on the Flat, he should be a good fun horse.

“He had a little injury early on last year and missed the early part of the season, that put him on the back foot as everything was a bit rushed to get him ready for the later part of the Flat season, but from the first day he jumped a hurdle he seemed to love it.”

The Dublin Racing Festival or a Naas outing are next on the agenda, and the handicapper’s assessment of the horse’s performances is then likely to inform his target at the Cheltenham Festival.

Both the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle and the Triumph Hurdle are under consideration, with the former a handicap contest and the latter run off level weights.

“He’ll have one more run, either at the Dublin Racing Festival or in Naas in February, it’ll be one of those,” Slattery said.

“We’ll see what the handicapper does and that will tell us whether we’ll go for the Boodles or the Triumph – it depends on where the handicapper puts us.”

Sir Allen is owned by the Eight Star Syndicate, from whom Slattery used to train Dinkum Diamond after his spell in England with Henry Candy.

Slattery explained: “The syndicate that owns him used to have a very good horse a few years ago called Dinkum Diamond, that used to be trained by Henry Candy, hopefully this is another nice horse for them.”

Snowden has Sandown plan for You Wear It Well

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Jamie Snowden is plotting a course to the Cheltenham Festival via the Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown for his smart Challow Hurdle runner-up You Wear It Well.

Three from four and unbeaten over hurdles heading into the Newbury Grade One, the six-year-old was far from disgraced when both stepping up in both trip and grade, chasing home the ultra-impressive winner Hermes Allen for a brave silver medal.

With black type in the bag and confirmation he has both a talented and versatile mare on his hands, Snowden plans to follow the route taken successfully by Love Envoi in 2022 by running over two and a half miles at Sandown on February 16, before dropping back to the minimum distance for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Prestbury Park in March.

“It was a cracking run,” said Snowden reflecting on You Wear It Well’s Challow efforts.

“She was fairly unexposed going into the race and although the winner has won quite easily, she has travelled through the race nicely and has beaten the rest of the field easily. She was only just over four lengths behind the winner and a good way clear of the third so it was a fine effort.

“I think we might consider the Grade Two Jane Seymour at Sandown next and then the Festival.

“She stayed the trip well at Newbury, yet her form before that was over two miles so she is a smart mare. She’s a talented mare, she’s not slow but she also stays. You take the impressive winner out of the Challow and she has beaten the others really nicely. She’s a good mare and has bags of talent.”

Snowden also saddled £185,000 recruit Passing Well to finish fourth in the two-and-a-half-mile feature at the Berkshire track on New Year’s Eve.

Although well held, the Folly House handler was far from disappointed with the performance and will now seek to find the six-year-old a winnable opportunity for a confidence booster in calmer waters before potentially returning to Grade One action with a step up to three miles at the Festival in the spring.

“He was fourth and ran a belter, he was just outpaced at a crucial time before staying on really well in the final furlong,” continued Snowden.

“He is obviously a three-mile chaser in the making and I would say we will drop back and try to win with a penalty and then we might head up in trip and have a think about the Albert Bartlett perhaps.”

Stage Star back to winning ways with ease at Plumpton

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Stage Star was the highlight of a treble for Harry Cobden at Plumpton on Monday, as Paul Nicholls’ charge got his novice chasing career back on track with a bloodless victory.

A Grade One winner over hurdles, the seven-year-old made a bright start to life over the larger obstacles at Warwick, but was then bitterly disappointing when sent off odds-on for a Grade Two at Newbury in November.

Dropped into calmer waters for the Phone Betting At Goodwin Racing 08000 421 321 Novices’ Chase, the Ditcheat inmate had just the Fergal O’Brien-trained Mortlach to beat and did so with ease, producing a fine round of jumping in the hands of Harry Cobden to oblige favourite-backers at 1-9.

“I was very pleased with that,” Nicholls told Sky Sports Racing. “I don’t think he was right for whatever reason at Newbury the last day, he hung and the ground was fast enough for him.

“Today he looked better beforehand, and he went round there with a spring in his step, jumped well and looks to be back on form.

“He has to go left-handed and there’s quite a valuable novice chase at Warwick in two weeks’ time and there is a very valuable race at Lingfield in three weeks’ time, so it would be one of those I expect next.

“He will definitely have entries at Cheltenham in both the two and a half (Turners) and over three (Brown Advisory). If we get him right we’ll definitely go for one of them.”

Cobden added to his tally when he steered Milton Harris’ Twinjets (1-3 favourite) to a nine-length victory in the Free Bet Nose Losers At Betgoodwin EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.

It was the six-year-old’s fourth victory in five starts under rules and the Sutton Veny handler is eyeing a trip to Sandown on March 11.

“To be fair to him he’s only been beat once and he came back wrong that day,” said Harris of the winner.

“Turning in I thought ‘this could be a race’ but he’s ended up winning nine lengths so he’s a fair horse.

“He’s just a bit immature – he jumps a bit left then will go a bit right – but he will definitely be all right. How far we go with him? I don’t know. Of course life gets a bit difficult now with a double penalty.

“But he could go for something like the EBF Final at Sandown where he might get his ground and he’ll get the trip.

“He needs another run and he needs another run without being too silly. You’d like to get in there off 120-something wouldn’t you, but he’s better than that you would think.”

Harris and Cobden combined again to round off the day in style when El Muchacho (7-2) landed the concluding Zoe Davison Memorial Handicap Hurdle.

Joe Tizzard’s Atakan (11-4) ground down the tough 5-2 favourite Blame The Game in the shadow of the post to edge the feature BetGoodwin Sussex National Handicap Chase in the hands of Brendan Powell.

“We’ve always quite liked him and his fist ever time on the track at Carlisle he finished sixth,” said Powell.

“I don’t think he’d seen much grass before and he gave me a feel he would make a nice staying chaser and I quietly fancied him today, I thought we’d be placed definitely.

“For a horse that is only having his third run over fences his jumping is good. He made all when he won round here in a novice chase, but I didn’t want to commit him too soon and it worked out quite well as I had some company and something to aim at turning in. I thought I would keep waiting on him and thankfully it worked.

“They are fit and you know they will keep going but he’s a horse I just wanted to have one go at today, especially in a race like this, and I didn’t really want to chuck the race away by taking it up too soon.”

There was also an impressive win on the card for Gary Moore’s Hansard (5-2), who gave 7lb and a two-length beating to 4-7 favourite Master Chewy in the Download The BetGoodwin App Novices’ Hurdle.

Hansard, here ridden by jockey Jamie Moore when winning the Fitzdares Looking Forward to Hwpas Tomorrow Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon, added to his tally at Plumpton
Hansard, here ridden by jockey Jamie Moore when winning the Fitzdares Looking Forward to Hwpas Tomorrow Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon, added to his tally at Plumpton (Tim Goode/PA)

“The second horse is rated 126 and we’ve given it 7lb,” said winning rider Jamie Moore.

“My lad has actually pulled up over the last two, I know I haven’t won by a mile but he wasn’t doing an awful lot in front. He travels round good, he’s by The Gurkha so he has got a pit of poke. I think he’ll be a nice horse.

“He won on good ground at Huntingdon and Huntingdon has been quick all year. We were worried at Huntingdon that it would be too quick and we were worried today it would be too slow.

“He’s very tough and hardy. He ran in four bumpers in four months in Ireland for Charles O’Brien and won his final one of them, so he could be progressing. He’s a nice horse.”

Good Land pencilled for Grade One mission next month

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Barry Connell’s Good Land has a Grade One return to Leopardstown in store after his taking victory at the track last week.

The lightly-raced seven-year-old had some good bumper form to his name when making his hurdles debut at Fairyhouse in early December, but a first-fence mistake cut that run short as he parted ways with rider Michael O’Sullivan.

At Leopardstown on Thursday he returned to contest the Pigsback.com Maiden Hurdle, a race he dominated when making all of the running and going on to win by an unchallenged eight lengths on the line.

Connell now has a step up in calibre in mind for the Blue Bresil gelding, with the Grade One Nathaniel Lacy Solicitors Novice Hurdle on the agenda at the Dublin Racing Festival in early February.

“We were delighted with him, we knew he was a smart horse,” the owner-trainer said.

Good Land in action at Leopardstown
Good Land in action at Leopardstown (Niall Carson/PA)

“He won his bumper in Wexford very well and the form of that race had worked out, there were a number of winners that came out of that race.

“In that Fairyhouse run he just landed steeply after one hurdle, that was it. He was basically a non-runner in that race.

“His jumping is good and I don’t think he missed a beat in Leopardstown, he might have got in tight to one but was very clever and the rest were spot on.

“He’d been schooling well at home so we were expecting him to run a big race, but when you go to Leopardstown for a maiden run at Christmas with all the big yards involved – it takes a pretty good horse to win there.

“The manner in which he won was very impressive. I think he’s entitled to take his shot now at the Dublin Racing Festival and that’s where we’ll probably go next.

“The plan is to go for the two-mile six (furlong) race at the Dublin Racing Festival, the Grade One.”

Scott tempted by Stayers’ Hurdle for versatile Dashel Drasher

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A tilt at the Stayers’ Hurdle has crept into the equation for Dashel Drasher following his game effort in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.

Jeremy Scott’s versatile 10-year-old has mixed and matched fences and hurdles with real success of late, winning on his reappearance over timber at Aintree before finishing second to Grand National winner Noble Yeats on a first try at three miles in the Many Clouds Chase when returned to Merseyside the following month.

Keen to keep things fresh for the 11-time winner, the son of Passing Glance was returned to the smaller objects for his latest assignment, leading the field along for the majority of the two-and-a-half-mile Grade Two and only succumbing to the superior turn of foot of the winner, Marie’s Rock, in the closing stages.

However, what pleased Scott most about the performance was how his stable star bravely battled back for second once headed by First Street up the run-in and it is convincing the Higher Holworthy Farm handler that three miles is worth further exploration – something which could lead to an outing in the Paddy Power-sponsored Stayers’ Hurdle in March.

“I thought it was a great run, I couldn’t have been happier really without winning a race,” said Scott.

“He had a lot of decent horses in behind him and I think we’ve got half an idea that we will up him to three miles over hurdles and possibly look at running him in the Stayers’ Hurdle.

“He isn’t quite quick enough over the two and a half miles and he certainly didn’t have the turn of foot the winner had. But it was really pleasing how he fought back and beat the second horse having been headed and I think it shows an awful lot of guts, which is a very admirable feature in a racehorse.

“He got the trip OK up at Aintree and the more we run him this season the more he seems to see it out OK. His cruising speed would hopefully put one or two under pressure.”

Scott is still to decide how Dashel Drasher prepares for a possible run at the Festival, with a course-and-distance sighter in the Cleeve Hurdle (January 28) an option, but also a return to fences for the Betfair Ascot Chase (February 18) he won in 2021.

Dashel Drasher could return to his beloved Ascot to complete his Cheltenham Festival preparations
Dashel Drasher could return to his beloved Ascot to complete his Cheltenham Festival preparations (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

He continued: “We could go back chasing and I’m not worried about going chasing, but that division could be stronger at the moment. We’ll see how he comes out of this race and our original plan was to have a run in the Cleeve and see how he got on over three miles.

“That might come a bit soon, but we also have the option of going back over fences at Ascot – give him a break now and run in the Graded race he’s won before. Then go to Cheltenham after that if it all worked out.

“We will very much see how he comes out of this race, he’s absolutely fine this morning and I think he has thoroughly enjoyed his experience at Cheltenham.”