Saturday’s Betfair Imperial Cup meeting at Sandown will need to pass an 8am inspection if it is to go ahead as scheduled.
Racing took place at Sandown on Tuesday, but persistent wintry showers since have eased conditions significantly and clerk of the course Andrew Cooper admitted the track would have “struggled to race” on Thursday.
With further rain forecast and temperatures set to dip below freezing on Friday night, Cooper has called an inspection for raceday morning, with the track in a “difficult situation”.
He said: “It’s clearly a case of taking stock on Saturday morning, but the immediate issues and concerns here would be rainfall and the wetness of the conditions here after the week we’ve had.
There will be an Inspection @Sandownpark at 8am on Saturday morning ahead of @Betfair Imperial Cup – to assess the impact of any further rain today but primarily in light of the potential for a sharp overnight frost.
“We raced on Tuesday and the rain started in this neck of the woods after a long break without rain on Tuesday morning. We’ve now had the best part of 30 millimetres, so over an inch of rain, and there could be a bit more rain later today.
“It’s a difficult situation with challenges potentially on two fronts as we’re also forecast a sudden, sharp frost here tonight.
“The general appraisal is we could get down to minus 2C. It could be less than that or it could be sharper than that, we’ll just have to see.
“It’s a combination of things really.”
Racing at Ayr goes ahead on Friday, but an inspection has been called ahead of Saturday’s card (Jeff Holmes/PA)
With two inches of snow on the track, officials at Leicester had no option but to abandon Friday’s card, but there was better news north of the border, with racing at Ayr given the go-ahead.
The Scottish venue is also due to stage a Saturday fixture, which is subject to a precautionary inspection at 8.30am due to a forecast of overnight temperatures dipping to as low as minus 3C.
Friday’s all-weather meeting at Wolverhampton survived following three inspections, while Saturday’s jumps card at Hereford was abandoned following a 9.30am inspection.
There are also concerns in Ireland with Navan’s Saturday meeting, which is due to feature the Grade Two Webster Cup Chase, subject to a 7.30am inspection.
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Connections of Marie’s Rock are still no nearer to determining whether she will defend her Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle or instead attempt to land the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham next week.
The Nicky Henderson-trained eight-year-old made a sparkling return to action, winning the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day, having not run since taking a second successive Grade One victory in the Mares’ Champion Hurdle at Punchestown last April.
Marie's Rock wins the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle
The Middleham Park Racing-owned mare will be seeking a fifth consecutive victory regardless of which race she contests.
She is a general 3-1 joint second-favourite behind Honeysuckle for the two-and-a-half-mile Mares’ Hurdle on Tuesday and a general 7-2 second-favourite for Thursday’s three-mile Stayers’ Hurdle.
Middleham Park racing manager Tom Palin said the weather will play a major part in their decision.
He said: “There are no firm plans, I’m afraid. I know Nicky is championing the Stayers’ but in our conversations, there isn’t a firm decision.
“He wouldn’t be solely in the Stayers’ camp, nor am I solely in the Mares’ camp.
“I think I’d be right in saying neither of us would want to try her over three miles on the testing course at Cheltenham in soft ground.
“We do need to see just what the weather does and that is obviously very unsettled at the moment.”
Blazing Khal has headed the Stayers’ Hurdle market since winning the Boyne Hurdle at Navan last month, on his first start in 14 months.
However, he subsequently suffered a setback and trainer Charles Byrne will give him a final piece of work on Friday before determining whether or not he will take his chance.
“Blazing Khal has a date with destiny tomorrow by all accounts, so that is something to factor in,” added Palin.
“If the Stayers’ Hurdle favourite isn’t in the race tomorrow afternoon, that is something sizable to take in. There is nothing set in stone.
“We will probably make the decision at 9.50am on Sunday. If there hadn’t been any rain around and Blazing Khal was out, I would say that would have a very, very big swing on where we go, I would imagine.
“But it doesn’t look like it will be guaranteed good ground at this point.”
Henderson also has the JP McManus-owned Epatante – who was overturned by Marie’s Rock when odds-on favourite at Punchestown – entered in the Mares’ Hurdle.
Potentially the race registered at the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle is one the most competitive events of the four-day meeting.
Nicky Henderson also has Epatante in the Mares’ Hurdle (David Davies/PA)
Palin added: “If it is soft ground, like it is probably going to be on Tuesday, the extra stamina that we might have in a Stayers’ will surely come to the fore in the Mares’.
“Soft ground, up that hill, is Epatante guaranteed to get it in soft ground? That is a question.
“Lest we forget, we are 1-0 against her, having beaten her at Punchestown.
“It could be a mouthwatering race. The winners of the last three Champion Hurdles taking each other on, and you put in there Marie’s Rock, who is no slouch and is defending champion, and arguably the best filly in training this side of the Irish Sea, then chuck in young pretenders like Love Envoi, Brandy Love and Theatre Glory, and it really is the race of the meeting!”
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Officials at Sandown insist there is “a real fighting chance” that Saturday’s Betfair Imperial Cup meeting will go ahead as planned.
The Esher track was fit to race on Tuesday, although persistent wintry showers have subsequently eased the ground to soft, heavy in places.
Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said precautions will be taken with the forecast of sub-zero temperatures on Friday evening.
“It has been a difficult 24 hours,” he said on Thursday afternoon. “We raced on Tuesday and caught about seven millimetres of rain in the morning before racing, which increased the damage on the day.
“Yesterday we started off with about three centimetres of snow. The rain gauges are showing about 15mm of something here yesterday and we’ve had bits and pieces today, about 4mm. There is still lingering rain in the mix, certainly until Friday morning, then the forecast is for a frost Friday night into Saturday, just to help things!”
However, while admitting that the track would have “struggled to race” on Thursday, Cooper remains upbeat for the weekend.
“I think we have a real fighting chance,” he added. “The frost is a little sting in the tail that we could have done without and because it is so wet and the timeframe we are in, we are not going to cover everything – you’d trash the place just getting covers onto the course.
“We will cover the shaded area in front of the grandstands and all the bits we know are prone to frost sticking around.
“We are getting there. Although there is rain around, it is not heavy rain and things are certainly settling down and gradually improving in terms of ground conditions. Currently we are moving in the right direction.”
Hereford is also scheduled to stage racing on Saturday (David Davies/PA)
Hereford’s seven-race Saturday card could be in jeopardy, with the course not fit for action at present and an inspection called for 9.30am on Friday.
Clerk of the course Libby O’Flaherty said: “The snow has started to melt, but the track is currently unraceable. We are in the hands of the weather and will give it every chance we can, but we will need a little bit of luck.
“We will have a better idea on Friday morning when all the snow has gone.”
Friday’s meetings at Ayr and Leicester are subject to inspections at 8am and 7.30am respectively, with Wolverhampton’s all-weather fixture also needing to pass am 8am check.
Exeter and Kempton are also scheduled to race.
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Martin Brassil will send Longhouse Poet to Down Royal next Friday for his Grand National prep run.
The nine-year-old was a well-supported sixth behind Noble Yeats in the Aintree marathon last year and is currently a general 16-1 chance for the four-and-a-quarter-mile spectacular on April 15.
He reverted to hurdles on his first three runs this season, including when scoring at Limerick on Boxing Day.
However, he unseated JJ Slevin at the first on his return to fences in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse last month.
Brassil, who enoyed Grand National success with Numbersixvalverde in 2006, said: “He will probably run in a three-and-three-quarter-mile chase at Down Royal on St Patrick’s Day. That will be his last run before Aintree. I’ve been happy with him.
“I’m reasonably happy with his National weight at 154. As long as the weights don’t go up, he has a grand racing weight.
“He ran a nice race last year, but probably over-raced a bit. He probably got a bit exuberant. You have to remember it is a long way round there twice.”
Fastorslow (right) was touched off by Commander Of Fleet in the Coral Cup last year (David Davies/PA)
The Kildare handler is still no nearer to deciding which race Fastorslow, who is similarly owned by Sean and Bernardine Mulryan, will contest at Cheltenham next week.
The seven-year-old, who was runner-up in the Coral Cup at the Festival last March, holds entries in both the Ultima Handicap Chase on Tuesday and the Magners Plate Handicap Chase on Thursday.
Fastorslow has run just twice over fences in Ireland, both coming in Grade One company this season.
He finished fifth of six to Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan Memorial at Punchestown and last of five to Gentlemen De Mee in the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown.
Brassil lamented the lack of options for Fastorslow, who won his only other chase outing when scoring for Arnaud Chaille-Chaille at Auteuil in September 2019.
“The conditions of a lot of the races over here excluded him from having a run, because he won in 2019 and the conditions said you couldn’t have won before May 2021, and that is why I had to run him in a couple of Grade Ones,” he said.
“They have given him plenty of weight, too, especially for a horse who hasn’t won a hurdle race since he was three.
“He won a chase when he was three – now he’s seven and rated 150 over fences and 147 over hurdles.
“At the moment we will go to the Ultima, but we will confirm him for the Plate as well. The weights have already gone up 4lb in the Ultima, but we’ll wait and see.”
He added: “He is hugely inexperienced, even though he does jump very well and we wouldn’t have any worries about that. At the same time, it is a big ask. If he has a bit of class, it will have to come out.”
Jockey Niall Madden (left) and Martin Brassil with 2006 Grand National winner Numbersixvalverde (Niall Carson/PA)
Brassil will run An Epic Song in either the Coral Cup or the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle next week, although he would welcome slower conditions for the six-year-old.
“He would be very much ground dependent,” Brassil added. “He would want a real nasty turn of weather.
“I confirmed him for the Coral Cup. If he doesn’t make the cut there, he’ll go in the Martin Pipe.
“He’d want a lot of rain and about a foot of snow to melt, like at the old-fashioned Cheltenham – the Desert Orchid days or days of The Thinker.”
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Willie Mullins has supplemented Adamantly Chosen for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on Wednesday.
Second to Gordon Elliott’s Mighty Potter in Grade One company at the Dublin Racing Festival over two miles and five furlongs, it appears connections are now keen to step him up to three miles.
He is one of six possibles for Mullins among 14 left in, although that does include Gaillard Du Mesnil, the red-hot favourite for the National Hunt Chase.
Bronn, I Am Maximus, Ramillies and Sir Gerhard complete his sextet.
Gerri Colombe on his way to victory at Sandown (Steven Paston/PA)
Elliott’s Gerri Colombe, Patrick Neville’s The Real Whacker and Thyme Hill from Philip Hobbs’ yard all stand their ground along with Dan Skelton’s mare Galia Des Liteaux.
A total of 22 remain in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, eight trained by Mullins.
That does include Facile Vega and Il Etait Temps, both towards the head of the betting for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
Stablemate Impaire Et Passe has been heavily backed for the race in recent days, with Gaelic Warrior another with leading claims.
Leading the home team is the Paul Nicholls-trained Hermes Allen, so impressive when winning the Challow Hurdle at Newbury – form which has worked out incredibly well.
Delta Work (right) denied Tiger Roll the perfect send off last year (David Davies/PA)
Barry Connell’s Good Land is another major contender.
Delta Work and Galvin give Elliott a very strong hand in the Glenfarclas Chase, while Elliott’s Andy Dufresne is set to carry top weight in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual for which 40 remain, including Gavin Cromwell’s prolific winner Final Orders.
Mullins still has 11 engaged in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper as he seeks to enhance his already incredible record in the race, however, it is John Kiely’s A Dream To Share who heads the ante-post markets.
Camprond, HMS Seahorse and Run For Oscar are among the confirmations for the Coral Cup.
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Bars across Cheltenham should brace themselves for a Shark attack of Jaws-like proportions if Hewick can complete his fairytale rise by claiming Gold Cup glory.
In an era when National Hunt horses are readily selling for half a million and more, the Hewick story is one that gives hope those rags-to-riches tales can still come true.
You will do well to find a more ebullient trainer than John ‘Shark’ Hanlon, who gained his nickname from a hurling game when he was still a teenager.
A towering figure in stature with ginger locks, Hanlon looks like a man who could guzzle a gallon of Guinness without batting an eyelid – and would be quite happy to show you given the opportunity.
Shark Hanlon at Galway (Niall Carson/PA)
“I wouldn’t have been the best son in the world in fairness,” he admitted after welcoming a gaggle of the British racing media to his yard on a beautiful February morning in County Carlow.
“My mother always said to me ‘there’s one thing I can’t work out about you John, you leave here at 7.45pm on a Friday to go to 8pm mass in Kilkenny’ and I said ‘yep, and I’m often there before the priest is!’.
“Then she said ‘but you can get to Kilkenny in 15 minutes and it takes you two or three days to come home!’. So you can imagine what kind of son I was when I was 18 or 20.”
Hanlon opened his doors to the press pack on the same morning those in attendance had been to see the astonishing firepower his more illustrious neighbour Willie Mullins has at his disposal for the Festival.
It took no more than 15 minutes to travel by coach from Closutton to Fennis Court yet they are a world apart, with former cattle dealer Hanlon’s string adding up to to around a quarter of the 200-plus Mullins army.
While the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history is regularly able to spend the big bucks thanks to multiple wealthy owners, Hanlon has had no option to dip his hand in the bargain bucket from time to time – but in Hewick he has unearthed a diamond in the rough.
“The story is brilliant as he came from five minutes down the road at Goresbridge and at €850 he was some value,” said the trainer.
“I actually went to look at another horse but he wasn’t there, so we came out of the bottom gate to come home and met him (Hewick) walking in. I came home and was thinking about the horse, so I went back and and bought him.”
If things had worked out differently Hewick could well have been moved on four years ago, with Hanlon’s business model built around preparing unraced horses for point-to-points before selling for a profit.
Hewick on the gallops at Shark Hanlon’s yard (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)
But in a twist of fate, his current stable star failed to complete in three outings in the pointing field and as a result ended up staying put to run under Rules.
Hanlon said: “If he’d won his point-to-point he would have been sold then as all my point-to-pointers get sold, but everything went wrong for him.
“In his first point-to-point a horse fell in front of him and brought him down, the second day it was good ground and then lashed rain and he slipped and skidded along the ground, and then the third day Shane Fenelon fell off him at the first.
“After that we said we’d give him a bit of time and run him in a few hurdle races. It took him a bit of time, but he won one night in Kilbeggan and from that day to this he’s after being a real horse.”
Hewick’s rise, particularly in the last season and a half, has been nothing short of astonishing.
Since a relatively low-key win in the Durham National at Sedgefield less than 18 months ago, the eight-year-old has plundered the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown and the Galway Plate, while he may well have added the Kerry National at Listowel to his big-race haul but for tipping up at the final fence.
But it is his most recent triumph that made the most headlines as an ambitious trans-Atlantic trip to New York paid off spectacularly as Hewick ran out a brilliant winner of the American Grand National.
It was a trip Hanlon will not forget in a hurry, while Hewick’s subsequent visit to the trainer’s local pub made national and even international news.
He said: “It was amazing and we let them all know that we were there, that’s for sure!
Hewick is washed down after exercise (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)
“They give you the trophy out on the track and the whole thing had to be delayed 40 minutes as they couldn’t us off the track.
“Gordon Elliott was there and had a car hired and I had a car hired. Gordon went off and filled his car with drink, I went off filled mine with food and then we all joined together.
“It’s a great story and something you dream of. We didn’t leave the track that early and did a bit of celebrating – I’d say they mightn’t let the Irish in again!”
Hanlon has since returned to the States after his charge was nominated for and ultimately won the prestigious Steeplechase Horse of the Year title at the Eclipse Awards, reducing the trainer to tears at a glittering ceremony in Florida.
“It was mighty and to go back and win an Eclipse Award, I never dreamt we’d get that. They sent me an email to say he was in the last three and told me where it was, but they gave me no inkling that he’d won. When they called it I couldn’t believe it,” he said.
“I was quite emotional as a lot of things hit my head. Obviously Jack de Bromhead died last year and I thought of my own two sons and Jack after it – I had a lump in my throat.
“I’ll never win an Eclipse Award again and it would have been nice to have my two sons there with me. Jack was a great kid and my chaps here were very fond of him.
“I got emotional thinking about things, that’s all.”
With Hewick having enjoyed a well-earned break since his American adventure, the Hanlon bandwagon will roll into the Cotswolds ready to take part in Cheltenham’s most prestigious race.
Connections could likely have recouped his purchase price 100 times over if they had wished, but Hanlon is fully aware he may never be in this position again and is keen to make the most of it.
He said: “We’ve had some big offers – more than any horse is worth. I own part of him myself and I would have loved to sell him, but I’d only sell him to stay in the yard and the other chap didn’t want to sell at all, which made it easier for me.
“Maybe we shouldn’t be going for the Gold Cup, but when will we ever have a horse to run in a Gold Cup again? That’s the way I’m looking at it. The owners wants to run in a Gold Cup, so why not bring him – isn’t he entitled to be there?
“I think Cheltenham will suit us as it’s a good, tough track and I think you want a horse to stay three and a half miles to win a Gold Cup and he’s already won over three and a half in Sandown.
“I’d be delighted to finish in the first four, but you always dream about winning it and if you’re not in, you can’t win. It’d be a great story to win it with an €850 horse, wouldn’t it?
“He’s earned us some money and as well as that he’s given us some sport and some fun.”
Hewick rolls in mud at Shark Hanlon’s yard (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)
The Gold Cup is only one half a dream double on Hanlon’s mind, with a tilt at the Grand National at Aintree next on his agenda.
If Hewick wins one or both of National Hunt racing’s biggest prizes, one thing is for certain – there will be a party to end all parties somewhere in Britain or Ireland.
“If we win a Gold Cup, and then go back and win an English National, I’d say it could take a week or a fortnight to go home,” said Hanlon.
“He went into a pub the last time, so I don’t know where we’ll bring him the next time!”
https://devplatform.ggzssd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2.70888745-scaled.jpg12802560DaveMhttps://devplatform.ggzssd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/geegeez_banner_new_300x100.pngDaveM2023-03-09 14:00:532023-03-09 14:00:53Hanlon poised for epic celebration should Hewick realise Cheltenham dream
Unquestionably Constitution Hill would be the best chance. Jonbon would hold a fair shout. A victory for Marie’s Rock, Shishkin, Luccia or Epatante would be a bonus.
Yet arguably victory for any of those Nicky Henderson runners at the Cheltenham Festival would not give the Seven Barrows handler more delight than seeing Steal A March land the Pertemps Network Final.
The eight-year-old is one of five – or possibly six – runners the 72-year-old Lambourn handler will saddle in the race on March 17, insisting with a customary chuckle: “I’m doing a Willie Mullins.”
Another thriller! 🏇
The lightly-weighted Abuffalosoldier stays on best under James Bowen to edge out royal runner Steal A March in a cracking finish to the @Coral Committed To Safer Gambling Handicap Hurdle @NewburyRacing.
Unlike his good friend and rival Mullins, and while not averse to running stablemates against each other, Henderson is seldom keen to tread that path.
However, he is blessed with a particularly strong team of hurdlers who have few options but to take each other on.
Hot Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill could be joined by a former winner of the race in Epatante, while First Street is another contender.
Marie’s Rock is a potential runner in an open-looking Stayers’ Hurdle, while Luccia heads a top team of novices, with Balco Coastal and Jonbon a pair of chasers who have massive potential.
Steal A March is a particular favourite, though. He gave Henderson huge satisfaction by winning a lowly Worcester handicap hurdle on June 4, as the Mount Nelson gelding provided the Queen with a winner during her Platinum Jubilee weekend celebrations.
Barbers Shop produced some memorable results for Henderson and The Queen (David Jones/PA)
Henderson and the Queen enjoyed some fantastic and hugely-popular successes together, most notably with the classy chaser Barbers Shop.
Now that the purple, scarlet and gold colours have been transferred to the King, they will be carried in the Pertemps, a fiercely-competitive handicap hurdle over three miles.
Henderson is looking forward to seeing a royal presence at the Festival in a race where he could saddle stablemates Scarpia, Walking On Air, Captain Morgs, Call Me Lord and Mill Green.
“I very much hope there will be some representatives of the owners, which will be good for racing and good for Cheltenham,” said Henderson.
“He won on Derby day, which was very special. We were all trying to get winners that weekend for the Queen.”
Steal A March was a narrow runner-up on his seasonal bow in a decent Newbury handicap and then scored at Wincanton on Boxing Day.
“He has always been capable,” added Henderson. “He has improved a fair bit all of a sudden.
“I like his chances in the Pertemps. We have got quite a strong team for the contest to be fair, but I was impressed with him the last time. It would be nice for the King should he win. It would be absolutely great for the sport.”
The team at Seven Barrows will hope that a winner or two will be in the bag by the time the Pertemps is run on the meeting’s third day.
“The first day is our strongest day, so we need something to happen on Tuesday, because it gets harder work from there on. We start panicking after that,” he quipped.
Yet there is no stronger favourite at the meeting than Constitution Hill, who will bid to give the trainer a record ninth success in the Champion Hurdle following the victories of See You Then (1985, 1986, 1987), Punjabi (2009), Binocular (2010), Buveur D’Air (2017, 2018) and Epatante (2020).
Unbeaten in five starts, he has barely been tested and was 17 lengths too good for Epatante on his last run in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park.
Nicky Henderson with Champion Hurdle favourite Constitution Hill (David Davies/PA)
He might potentially be the best in a very long line of superstars that Henderson has trained and arguably could become the highest-rated hurdler in history, higher even than the legendary Night Nurse.
Despite hearing all the perfectly valid reasons for thinking the Michael Buckley-owned six-year-old is the horse of a lifetime, Henderson is quick to quell such talk.
“Constitution Hill is doing freakish things, but he’s only had five runs in his life and you have to remember it is very early days in his career,” he said.
“Normally, when you are going to a Champion Hurdle, you go with a horse who has had 10 or 12 races or something.
“It is hard to gauge him really, except he has just done nothing wrong.
“He has a long way to go before I’d say he is potentially the best horse I’ve trained. It took me 10 years to say that Sprinter Sacre was.
“I like the involvement in a horse like this as you feel like you have achieved something, and people want to be part of a horse that has touched them somewhere.
“Horse racing is still a great sport and there is a great community involved. It is a great game that a lot of people really enjoy. What they do is appreciate very good people and very good horses.
“Everybody wants to know what he is up to in the village (Lambourn) but there are a lot of other horses here, and in other yards, that are just as important that have big days ahead.
“We all want him to be this superstar. We have been lucky having the Sprinters and Altiors, however you never get blase about it.”
Luccia is nominated as a horse with a big future (David Davies/PA)
This time last year, Henderson nominated a horse outside of the obvious big guns that excited him. He offered up Marie’s Rock, who duly won the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle.
Ask him the same question 12 months on and he replies: “I think Luccia looks pretty promising for the future. Steal A March would be nice, wouldn’t it?”
At the meeting considered the Olympics of National Hunt racing, over the years he has saddled 72 winners, including six in 2012.
The last time he came away from Prestbury Park without a victory was 2008, so it would be a major shock should he fail to add to the laurels in any of the 28 races.
And with only Mullins fielding a stronger team over the four days, Henderson is heading there with plenty of hope.
“Cheltenham is very special isn’t it? Anybody who is in this game can’t deny it,” he added.
“It’s the four days which we all look forward to. I know it gets over-hyped. It gets everywhere, but there’s nothing quite like it.
“We all look forward to it, but you are tip-toeing on eggshells in the build-up, hoping the horses stay sound. Getting them there fit, healthy and in one piece is a major job in itself, never mind winning.”
https://devplatform.ggzssd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2.69954073-scaled.jpg12802560DaveMhttps://devplatform.ggzssd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/geegeez_banner_new_300x100.pngDaveM2023-03-09 14:00:442023-03-09 14:00:44Henderson hoping for royal approval on the march to Cheltenham riches
The list of owners who will employ the services of Nicky Henderson during the Cheltenham Festival is a roll call of the rich and powerful racing elite.
But the owners of Theatre Glory hail from much closer to home as the upwardly-mobile Warwick winner prepares to tackle one of the week’s hottest contests.
That is because the six-year-old is owned by Canter Banter Racing – the brainchild of Katie Croft and David Fehily, who are both head staff at Henderson’s Lambourn base.
To continue the Henderson connection, Theatre Glory – who is set to take her chance in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle – came into their possession via another graduate of the Seven Barrows academy – former jockey Jerry McGrath, who has become a key player in the Canter Banter set-up.
“Myself and David are both head staff for Nicky and we’ve been here for 12 or 13 years. We just wanted to do something different and for ourselves,” explained Croft.
🥇 THEATRE GLORY produces a performance out of the top-drawer for her owners @CanterB_Racing in the Warwick Mares’ Hurdle to win by 11 lengths. She is an exciting young mare with the potential to improve even further! pic.twitter.com/jWBpxn9ZYq
“Jerry gave us this filly which was actually unsold at the sales for under £5,000 as a three-year-old. They broke her in, liked her and then said to us ‘why don’t you have a crack with her, we think she’s quite nice’.”
Although unwanted in the ring, Theatre Glory has attracted plenty of admirers following her performances on the track – including the bookmakers, who made her around a 10-1 chance for the Coral Cup.
However, that race barely crossed Croft’s radar and the 145-rated mare will attempt to give syndicate-owned horses back-to-back victories in the day one contest having scooped her second Listed prize in style last month.
She continued: “I believe you need an awful lot of luck in a handicap and she’s not the biggest girl. For us as a syndicate to have a runner in a Grade One is great and if she was to finish in the top four, you would be delighted.
“It’s very exciting, just to have a live chance is very exciting.”
Nico de Boinville and Theatre Glory return after securing Listed honours at Warwick (PA)
The Warwick Mares’ Hurdle was supposed to be a simple tune-up mission for last year’s Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle winner Love Envoi.
She was trading at odds-on before her late withdrawal from the Listed event, but the Canter Banter team always fancied their chances against Harry Fry’s charge – especially having seen the form of Theatre Glory’s Boxing Day third at Kempton franked by Grey Dawning.
“We were quite confident beforehand, even with Love Envoi in the race,” said Croft.
“It might sound bullish now after the race because of the performance, but we were. At Kempton when she ran in the handicap, she was giving away a stone to a Grade Two winner and to be honest, we came back with excuses.
“She took a good blow and you could obviously see she was running on again at the finish. She also came back with a slight dirty nose and she could have just been better on the day, so we were confident there were bigger performances than that in her.”
It is costing connections £4,599 to supplement Theatre Glory for the Mares’ Hurdle – which may be small change for the might of JP McManus who owns stablemate Epatante – but a hefty outlay for a fledgling syndicate still in its infancy.
However, it appears the Canter Banter posse were in no doubt about ensuring their flagship mare lines up in Grade One company.
“They were all sort of revved straight away,” added Croft. “The hype she built up that day (at Warwick), it gave them a sort of a ‘oh my god, we have a chance’ feel and they are all very excited.”
With both Epatante and defending champion Marie’s Rock also possible runners in the Mares’ Hurdle, it would be easy to envisage loyalties towards each of the Henderson-trained mares causing a Seven Barrows cold war in the build up to the Festival.
However, for the Canter Banter team at least, there is no cloak and dagger from the spies in the camp, and no iron curtain splitting Upper Lambourn.
“We’re quite laid back about it as we’ve got it to prove,” continued Croft.
Theatre Glory ridden by Nico de Boinville goes on to win The Follow At The Races On Twitter Maiden Open NH Flat Race at Worcester (David Davies/PA)
“We’re the underdog and if we’re good enough, then great we’re good enough, but we’re under no illusion we will beat two champion hurdlers.
“Between the other two (Epatante and Marie’s Rock) there isn’t much in it and obviously it all depends if Marie’s Rock switches.
“Although without being biased towards our syndicate, I always thought Marie’s Rock would win a Stayers’ (Hurdle) anyway. I thought she should have been going to the Stayers’ before – she wasn’t stopping at Cheltenham in the Relkeel.”
Win or lose on Tuesday, Theatre Glory is set to stay in training for another season and the Canter Banter team are relishing the chance to put their racing club in the shop window on the big stage.
“It’s sort of the dream day to promote yourself. It’s very nice when you think she was unsold for £5,000,” said Croft.
“We’ve managed to persuade the breeders to keep her for another year. So we’ve got the whole of next season to look forward to, depending on what happens at Cheltenham.
“We’re in the process of finding some new horses and hopefully we will make a nice strong team.”
For now though, all eyes will be on Theatre Glory in her bid for Cheltenham success and after 25 years combined service to the Seven Barrows cause, the carriage clocks and gold watches are being put to one side – it is a Mares’ Hurdle gold medal that would be the perfect reward from the guv’nor.
https://devplatform.ggzssd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2.63629262-scaled.jpg12802560DaveMhttps://devplatform.ggzssd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/geegeez_banner_new_300x100.pngDaveM2023-03-09 14:00:382023-03-09 14:00:38Theatre team happy to go for glory in red-hot Festival feature
Danny Mullins will not be resting on his laurels as he bids to build on the momentum of a memorable campaign on home soil by playing a major part at the Cheltenham Festival.
Although a nephew of the most successful trainer in Cheltenham Festival history in Willie Mullins, the 30-year-old is well aware the family connection does not guarantee him rides for the sport’s dominant yard.
But through a combination of hard work and no little ability, Mullins has become a valuable cog in the Closutton machine and has already enjoyed his best ever-season in Ireland numbers-wise, having brought up his half-century at the Dublin Racing Festival.
It proved to be quite a weekend at Leopardstown for the rider as he also claimed a Grade One treble. But there is no chance of the teetotal jockey revelling in his success.
Danny Mullins after winning aboard Gala Marceau at the Dublin Racing Festival (Donall Farmer/PA)
“I’m having a good season, but that is down to the good horses I’m riding. The people around me do all the hard work and I just have to point and get the job done on the day,” said the modest rider.
“I went to Leopardstown with 11 rides and picked up a spare, so I had 12 rides in the end, which is any jockey’s dream. To be able to convert some of them to winners makes it extra special.”
When put to him he was enjoying his best season, he added: “Numbers-wise maybe, but I’ve only ridden four Grade One winners and I rode five last year, so we’ll have to keep going at that!”
Mullins has enjoyed two previous victories at the Cheltenham Festival, with both wins coming aboard the Gavin Cromwell-trained Flooring Porter in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
The jockey rightly earned the plaudits after a masterful front-running ride two years ago, while Flooring Porter once again dominated from the front to successfully defend his crown – sparking scenes of wild celebration in the Prestbury Park winner’s enclosure.
Flooring Porter wins the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle again!
The eight-year-old has been beaten twice this season and suffered a post-Christmas setback, although he is reportedly on course for the Cotswolds and the hat-trick bid.
“Flooring Porter is a very good horse. Things happened as I expected on the day when he won in Cheltenham the first time, but you can’t do that without the horse,” he said.
“Fingers crossed, he’ll make it to Cheltenham. There is no better than Gavin Cromwell – when he has got the ammunition he is well able to hit the target. While I’m lucky to be part of Willie’s team, it’s fantastic to riding winners for Gavin as well as he is definitely an up-and-coming trainer in Ireland.
“Home By The Lee has pitched himself into the Stayers’ Hurdle picture this year and Teahupoo has been very good in what he’s achieved so far, but that is what Cheltenham is about – the best horses taking each other on in a proper championship race.”
The jockey’s three top-level successes at the Dublin Racing Festival came aboard Gala Marceau, Gentleman De Mee and Il Etait Temps, all of whom were down the Mullins pecking order going into their respective races but all of whom the rider would love to be reunited with at Cheltenham.
Gala Marceau in action at Leopardstown (Donall Farmer/PA)
Gala Marceau reversed Christmas form with stablemate Lossiemouth in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle – and while the latter was widely considered an unlucky loser after encountering trouble in running, Mullins feels it would be dangerous to dismiss his mount should they meet again in the Triumph Hurdle.
He said: “Gala Marceau was very good. She travelled behind Lossiemouth at Christmas and Lossiemouth was an impressive winner that day, but who knows what would have happened the last day if Paul (Townend) had got a clean run through? My horse wasn’t stopping at the line and Paul never got onto my tail.
“I’d be happy to take her on again. We won this battle but the war is still on.”
Mullins was the beneficiary of an injury suffered by Mark Walsh when getting a late call-up to partner Gentleman De Mee, who upset odds-on stablemate in Blue Lord in Leopardstown’s Dublin Chase and is now very much in the picture for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.
“The Champion Chase has opened up in recent weeks and the way he jumped down the back straight in Leopardstown was fantastic – it was back to what he’d shown when he beat Edwardstone in Aintree last year,” Mullins added.
“This year he’d run too bad to be true, so it would be easy to write off those runs and in Leopardstown he was back to himself. Maybe he’s a horse that performs better later on the year and into the spring.”
Massive upset!
Facile Vega, white-hot Supreme Novices' Hurdle favourite, finishes last behind stablemate Il Etait Temps in the @tatts_ireland Novice Hurdle.
Mullins’ third and final DRF winner came on Il Etait Temps, who profited from the demise of another high-profile stablemate in Facile Vega. The pair could clash again in the curtain-raising Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Mullins said: “He gave Facile Vega a fright at Christmas and it was probably a race that didn’t work out for my horse. I tried to make the running and missed the first and followed Paul then.
“The last day it was a truly-run race and I think there was no fluke about the manner of his victory. Obviously Facile didn’t really turn up, but even if he had turned up my horse wasn’t stopping hitting the line and I think he’ll be able to give him a run for it in Cheltenham.”
Whether the rider will get the opportunity to ride the above trio again remains to be seen, with his uncle famed for leaving it late before finalising running and jockey plans.
Mullins, though, is content to wait, safe in the knowledge that supposed second and even third strings from Closutton are capable of making an impact on the biggest of stages.
He said: “I think our jockeys here close at 12pm and at 11.55am before the Dublin Racing Festival there were still a few blanks in a couple of races! My agent was ringing me and asking me if I had heard anything and I said ‘no, we just do the usual – we sit, we wait and we see!’.
“With Willie, if I didn’t ride well next week I wouldn’t get the rides the week after, so you need to be on your game all the time, which has pushed me to be a better rider every season.
“Every year I go back and try to find out where I can improve. There’s plenty of other young lads who are trying to find that improvement themselves, so it’s no time to be sitting back and relaxing – you have to keep going forward.”
It is clear Mullins will not be taking anything for granted, but he is ready to seize every opportunity he is given with both hands.
He added: “At the Dublin Racing Festival I got a spare ride and won a Grade One and in the next race I was laid on the flat of my back, but that’s horse racing – you take the good with the bad.
“Cheltenham is Cheltenham. It’s probably the week of the year where us in horse racing get to hit the mainstream media and get recognised outside of our sport.
“It’s very important day in, day out to be performing well, but Cheltenham is the place where it hits the headlines in all of the papers and everybody is talking about it.”
https://devplatform.ggzssd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2.65896961-scaled.jpg12802560DaveMhttps://devplatform.ggzssd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/geegeez_banner_new_300x100.pngDaveM2023-03-09 14:00:362023-03-09 14:00:36No time for complacency in burgeoning career of Danny Mullins
One of the things that makes the Cheltenham Festival so great is it sees equine superstars from both sides of the Irish Sea do battle for top honours on the sport’s grandest stage.
There is no doubt the balance of power has very much been with the raiding party in recent years – a theory which came into sharp focus in 2021, when 23 of the 28 races went to Ireland.
The home team did make a better fist of it last season with 10 victories, but Willie Mullins managed that tally on his own and it is certainly not out of the question the most successful trainer in Festival history could reach double figures once more.
In truth, it is hard to see anything other than another victory for the ‘away’ side in the annual Anglo-Irish turf war – but with Nicky Henderson seemingly as strong as ever and Paul Nicholls assembling his most powerful squad for a while, there is hope Britain can avoid another landslide loss in the Cotswolds.
Ahead of this year’s meeting, we assess five of the chief hopes for the ‘home’ team, and five horses likely to ensure Irish eyes are smiling once again as the battle for the Prestbury Cup resumes.
The British
Jonbon – Nicky Henderson – Arkle Trophy, Tuesday
Jonbon on his way to victory at Sandown (Steven Paston/PA)
Jonbon is set to fly the flag for Britain in an otherwise Irish dominated renewal of the Arkle. The seven-year-old has been beaten only once in nine starts for the master of the Seven Barrows and that was when finishing best of the rest behind esteemed stablemate Constitution Hill in last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. He subsequently pipped Arkle rival El Fabiolo in a Grade One at Aintree and was pretty much foot-perfect in his first two starts over fences earlier at Warwick and Sandown. He was not quite so impressive on his return to Warwick in the Kingmaker last month, but that match race turned into a game of cat and mouse and he is expected to bounce back to his best at Prestbury Park.
Constitution Hill – Nicky Henderson – Champion Hurdle, Tuesday
Constitution Hill winning last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Mike Egerton/PA)
Without any shadow of doubt Britain’s biggest gun of all at this year’s Festival, Constitution Hill puts his unbeaten record and huge reputation on the line in the day one feature. Since his 22-length demolition of Jonbon 12 months ago, the six-year-old has blown away Champion Hurdle-winning stablemate Epatante in both the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle and the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton and is already being talked about as one of the greatest two-mile hurdlers of all time. Irish Champion Hurdle winner State Man might give him something to think about, but Constitution Hill is very difficult to oppose.
Hermes Allen – Paul Nicholls – Wednesday, Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle
Hermes Allen has already won at Cheltenham (Tim Goode/PA)
It has been a while since champion trainer Nicholls was dominating the Festival with the likes of Kauto Star, Master Minded, Denman and Big Buck’s. In fact, he has not enjoyed a winner at the showpiece fixture at all since Politologue landed the Champion Chase three years ago. But the master of Ditcheat is slowly but surely rebuilding his team and the ace in this year’s pack appears to be Hermes Allen. The £350,000 purchase bolted up by 27 lengths on his hurdling debut at Stratford and has not looked back – gaining valuable Cheltenham experience with a Grade Two win in November before providing his trainer with a fifth victory in the Grade One Challow at Newbury on New Year’s Eve. That success marks him down as comfortably the best of the British in this year’s Ballymore and he can see off a formidable Irish contingent.
Edwardstone – Alan King – Queen Mother Champion Chase, Wednesday
Edwardstone winning last year’s Arkle at Cheltenham (David Davies/PA)
Several horses have won the Arkle before claiming the Champion Chase 12 months later and there must be every chance Edwardstone can become the latest to complete the double. The nine-year-old was undoubtedly the star two-mile novice chaser of last season, with his Arkle success making it five wins on the bounce. He was beaten at the end of the season at Aintree, but was brilliant on his return in the Tingle Creek at Sandown before an uncharacteristic jumping mistake led to him unseating Tom Cannon at Kempton over Christmas. The key form line going into Cheltenham is from the rescheduled Clarence House at Cheltenham in January, in which the front-running Editeur Du Gite had just enough in the tank to hold Edwardstone by a head, with last year’s Champion Chaser Energumene a little disappointing in third. Mullins is confident the latter will be seen to better effect on the big day, but that may well be the case with Edwardstone too and the prospect of better ground might just give him the edge.
Shishkin with connections following his Ascot Chase success (Steven Paston/PA)
Shishkin is already a dual Festival winner having claimed the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle three years ago and the Arkle in 2021, but was pulled up when bidding to make it a hat-trick in last year’s Champion Chase, with a rare bone condition subsequently put forward as an excuse. A laboured third on his Tingle Creek comeback suggested he may just be past his best, but not for the first time Henderson has worked wonders with an apparently faltering stable star. Having undergone wind surgery, Shishkin successfully stepped up in trip with a glorious display in last month’s Ascot Chase and if he is in that sort of form on his return to Cheltenham, the rest may well be playing for places.
The Irish
Honeysuckle – Henry de Bromhead – Mares’ Hurdle, Tuesday
Honeysuckle on her way to winning last year’s Champion Hurdle (Nigel French/PA)
Honeysuckle’s place in Cheltenham history is assured as a three-time Festival heroine, with back-to-back Champion Hurdle victories preceded by success in the Mares’ Hurdle three years ago. After an unbeaten run of 16 races, she met with defeat for the first time when only third in her bid for a fourth Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse earlier this season, and again had to make do with minor honours when runner-up to State Man in last month’s Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown. But while her aura of invincibility has gone, she clearly retains plenty of ability and even a reproduction of her most recent performance will make her hard to beat on her return to Gloucestershire.
Delta Work – Gordon Elliott – Glenfarclas Chase, Wednesday
Delta Work (right) after beating Tiger Roll last year (Mike Egerton/PA)
Delta Work played the role of pantomime villain as last year’s Festival as he denied his popular stablemate Tiger Roll a sixth Festival victory on his final appearance before retirement. It will be a different story 12 months on though, with the 10-year-old one of the shortest-priced favourites of the meeting as prepares to defend his crown. Delta Work has been beaten in his last couple of races, but there was not much wrong with his third place at the track in January under a big weight, while his most recent outing in the Boyne Hurdle was no more than a readying run for Cheltenham. He will be at concert pitch for the big day and looks one of the bankers of the week.
Mighty Potter – Gordon Elliott – Turners Novices’ Chase, Thursday
Mighty Potter in action at the Dublin Racing Festival (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)
Mighty Potter won twice in Grade One company over hurdles last season, but already looks set to do even better now he has set his sights on the larger obstacles. The six-year-old is three from three since being sent chasing and has bagged two more top-level prizes at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown. His finishing effort at last month’s Dublin Racing Festival was particularly impressive and he will rightly line up for the Turners’ Novices’ Chase as a hot favourite. It is a slight concern that he disappointed at last year’s Festival, but he appears a more mature horse this time around and it is difficult to find fault in him.
Willie Mullins won the Triumph Hurdle for a third time with Vauban last season and in Lossiemouth he has another outstanding candidate. The French recruit was thoroughly impressive in winning her first two starts on Irish soil at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown and has headed the betting for the juvenile championship at Cheltenham ever since. She was very unfortunate not to complete her hat-trick at the Dublin Racing Festival after serious traffic problems stopped her in her tracks at a crucial stage and she was ultimately unable to recover in time to reel in stablemate Gala Marceau. The Mullins pair will renew rivalry, with another stablemate in Blood Destiny also prominent in the market, but Lossiemouth might be the one.
Galopin Des Champs – Willie Mullins – Gold Cup, Friday
Galopin Des Champs leads the way in the Irish Gold Cup (Donall Farmer/PA)
Bar his stumbling final fence fall in last year’s Turners’ Novices’ Chase, Galopin Des Champs has been pretty much faultless over fences thus far and is justifiably a warm order for the biggest race of all at this year’s Festival. The seven-year-old was brilliant in slamming his rivals in the John Durkan at Punchestown on his first start of the current campaign and looked better the further he went when winning over three miles over fences for the first time in last month’s Irish Gold Cup. The extra couple of furlongs he will encounter at Cheltenham is a step into the unknown, but Mullins is adamant he will not lack for stamina and there is no doubting his class, with last year’s winner A Plus Tard perhaps the only one able to match him in that department and he returns with questions to answer after just one listless performance this term. All in all Galopin Des Champs looks the most likely winner and is expected what looks set to be another successful week for his trainer.
https://devplatform.ggzssd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/67af98ad-af4f-4fc6-bf52-f064c5c154cd.png10002000DaveMhttps://devplatform.ggzssd.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/geegeez_banner_new_300x100.pngDaveM2023-03-09 14:00:342023-03-09 14:00:34Can the British bite back in annual Festival face-off?
