Tag Archive for: Oliver Sherwood

Sherwood happy to take Cheltenham Gamble with Queens

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Queens Gamble has Cheltenham form in her favour as she faces off against the might of Ireland in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

Oliver Sherwood’s talented mare has impressed twice at the track in her short career, beating Milton Harris’ five-time scorer Mullenbeg by 10 lengths on debut before downing another subsequent victor when scooping Listed honours at Prestbury Park in the autumn.

Despite defeat in her prep race at Market Rasen, Sherwood believes Queens Gamble is more than capable of holding her own and has the six-year-old fighting fit for her return to the track she loves best.

He said: “It’s difficult to assess the form on two ways – firstly taking on the Irish and then going up against the boys for the first time. But she’s entitled to be there and she hasn’t missed a beat.

“She’s in great order and I’ve been really happy with her prep. She loves Cheltenham and the only thing I don’t know is how she will handle this soft ground, but you’re not going to know until you try.

“They set out to beat her at Market Rasen and we got the tactics wrong, so fair play to Paddy (Brennan) and Fergal (O’Brien, jockey and trainer of winner Dysart Enos). She lost nothing in defeat as far as I’m concerned and she goes there with a live each-way chance on Wednesday.

“Johnny Burke knows her inside out, so we keep our fingers crossed.”

Willie Mullins has an enviable record in the Champion Bumper
Willie Mullins has an enviable record in the Champion Bumper (Lorraine O’Sullivan/PA)

Willie Mullins has a record 12 victories in this Grade One event and has taken home the trophy for the past three years.

He is responsible for 10 of the 24 heading to post and it is no surprise to see him well represented at the top of the market.

Patrick Mullins has chosen to ride Dublin Racing Festival runner-up Fact To File, which leaves Paul Townend free to take over aboard impressive Navan winner It’s For Me.

It's For Me is set for the Champion Bumper
It’s For Me is set for the Champion Bumper (Gary Carson/PA)

“He has done nothing wrong and is unbeaten in a point to point and a bumper for the owners,” said Anthony Bromley, racing manager for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

“He has got to move forward from that and improve, but he is a very likable horse and in an open year, he has a sound chance.

“There’s no doubt he has to improve from what he has done so far. That said, he is a likable horse with potential, but it is a big step up in class.”

The fly in the Mullins ointment could well be the John Kiely-trained A Dream To Share, who was snapped up by JP McManus after downing Fact To File at Leopardstown, with both runners now sporting the famous green and gold silks at Cheltenham.

Kiely is one of the elder statesman of the training ranks and hopes the five-year-old can remain unbeaten and provide him with the Cheltenham Festival victory that is missing from his CV.

He said: “He’s run very well so far. He’s in good form and we are hoping for a good run.

“It would be nice if he could keep living up to his name – he has done so up to now.”

Burke still full of hope for Queens Gamble at Cheltenham

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Jonathan Burke believes Queens Gamble should not be forgotten if she lines up in the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.

Oliver Sherwood’s six-year-old headed to Market Rasen for last week’s Alan Swinbank Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race as the shortest-priced British contender for the Festival bumper following two emphatic victories at Prestbury Park.

However, she lost her unbeaten record when hunted down by Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos and was subsequently eased out to 20-1 by the bookmakers.

The man in the saddle in all of her career starts has explained how he was expecting more of the mare but things did not go to plan in Lincolnshire, with the steady pace of the race against her.

“I was gutted initially,” said Burke. “With the way she has come up the hill at Cheltenham, when I let her down I was expecting her to take off, but she didn’t.

“I was kicking myself thinking should I have held her for longer maybe, but we had gone slow on a completely different track and she just wasn’t seen to her best I don’t think.

“Even at halfway I wasn’t happy, I had it in the back of my head things weren’t happening the way it did at Cheltenham. But she’s fine and if she goes well, I’m sure she will go straight to Cheltenham in March.”

The Listed contest was being run at the third time of asking having originally been scheduled to take place on January 20, before efforts to restage the race the following week also fell foul to the cold weather that played havoc with the racing calendar throughout January.

Burke admits the rescheduling could have played a part in the flat performance, but is backing the course and distance winner to show her true colours if returning to Cheltenham for the third time at the Festival.

He continued: “It probably didn’t help (rescheduling), but it was the same for the others and Paddy (Brennan) and Fergal are just brilliant in bumpers.

“I was gutted as I thought she would take off like she has done at Cheltenham, but maybe it’s just a case she is best seen at Cheltenham. With the mares’ allowance in the Champion Bumper, we’ll have a good go anyway.”

Rasen runner Queens Gamble aiming to book Festival ticket

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Oliver Sherwood hopes it will be third time lucky as leading Champion Bumper hope Queens Gamble continues her education at Market Rasen on Tuesday.

The five-year-old, who has already won both her races in impressive style at Cheltenham, will look to return to the Prestbury Park track on March 15 as the top British challenger in the extended two-mile contest.

With Market Rasen forced to abandon her Festival prep-race target twice because of frost, Sherwood is hoping the Listed Alan Swinbank Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race will finally be staged.

“Third time lucky – hopefully it is going to be on,” said Sherwood. “Market Rasen have been superb in the build-up, keeping in touch with us and obviously they want us there.”

Queens Gamble opened her account last April, beating the well-regarded Mullenbeg by 10 lengths in a mares’ bumper at Cheltenham before scorching to an eight-length success over Bonttay and 14 other rivals in Listed event back at that track in November.

Sherwood is hoping to learn more about her when she faces 11 rivals this time.

“I’m very happy with her – she hasn’t missed a beat,” he added. “With any horse, any trainer will tell you that when you have abandonments and rescheduled races, you have to build her up and drop her back down and then build her up again.

“With certain horses it is difficult, but with her it hasn’t been that difficult, other than trying to get her to the boil two or three times.

“She is a very easy horse to train and doesn’t take a lot of work, so I’m very happy with her build-up. The ground will be ideal, so it is all positives at the moment.”

On a right-handed track, which is much sharper than she has faced at Prestbury Park, Queens Gamble will also concede 4lb to a field that includes five previous bumper winners.

Sherwood said: “There are slightly less runners than there were originally, but I respect every horse.

“I’ve been at it long enough to know nothing is a gimme in this game and obviously there are plenty of horses in there with really good chances. She has a got a little penalty, which is understandable.

Oliver Sherwood heads to Market Rasen on Tuesda
Oliver Sherwood heads to Market Rasen on Tuesday (Simon Cooper/PA)

“But she is a big mare and the most intriguing thing for me is that it is a different track and a different way round, different course and much sharper than Cheltenham.

“It wouldn’t possibly play to her strengths. It is a long journey up from Lambourn and she has had only two races, so it is all part of her education and I’m looking forward to seeing that.

“We said we would stick to the original plan that if she went and won at Cheltenham in November, we’d stay to bumpers this year. She has only just turned five, so I’m really looking forward to next season and going hurdling with her.”

Sherwood monitoring weather ahead of Queens Gamble run

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Oliver Sherwood hopes to run exciting prospect Queens Gamble at Market Rasen on Friday, but is keeping a close eye on the weather forecast.

The dual Cheltenham bumper winner is entered in the Listed Alan Swinbank Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race as part of her preparation for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, for which she is currently a 12-1 chance with Coral.

However, with temperatures due to plummet, the Upper Lambourn handler will keep his powder dry if conditions are unsatisfactory.

He said: “I’m as happy as Larry with her. I am just a bit nervous about this ground. I want to run and we will probably end up declaring and going up and seeing what it is like, but it is a long way to go to take (her) out.

“It wouldn’t bother me if she didn’t run and go straight to Cheltenham, because she takes no getting ready. So I’d be happy with that and if we didn’t run, I’d take her to an away-day to Kempton or something, for a bit of a spin.”

Aintree could also be on the radar for the Getaway mare, who powered to an eight-length success over Bonttay when making a return to action in November.

“I’m very much keeping an eye on things to have a spring campaign, because this year there is a four-week gap between Cheltenham and Aintree,” said Sherwood.

“If things didn’t work out at Cheltenham, she could go for the mares’ race at Aintree. I don’t want to go and burn my bridges too early on. God willing she’ll run.”

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.”