Tag Archive for: Ruth Jefferson

Sounds Russian finished for the season after unfortunate Gold Cup mishap

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Sounds Russian will not run again this season after being brought down when running a big race in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The eight-year-old had finished runner-up in both the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby and in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on his previous two starts.

Though sent off at 50-1 in the blue riband, he was in touch with the leaders at the 17th fence, only to be brought down by the fall of Ahoy Senor.

Trainer Ruth Jefferson has ruled out both the Aintree and Punchestown festivals for the consistent chaser, who has been brilliantly campaigned.

She said: “He is fine, but he is not going to be able to run again this season.

“He was just a bit sore after his race. If he didn’t go to Aintree, there wasn’t a huge amount for him, so we just thought we’d give him a bit of time to get over it and start again next season.

“He was unlucky. He jumped the fence brilliantly, but got brought down and got a bit of kicking off A Plus Tard as well, who galloped over the top of him.

“It was the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Sounds Russian started this season on a mark of 150 and opened with victory in a limited handicap at Kelso in October.

He then finished a creditable third to Grand National winner Noble Yeats in the Many Clouds at Aintree.

Jefferson feels that now on a mark of 161, options are restricted.

She added: “I suppose there are only sort of a limited number of chases you could go for. I don’t think he will go back to Kelso for the race he won last October.

“That wasn’t my initial thought, but we’ll see how he is and see what the ground is, and plot our way somewhere.

“It is very hard to know where he would have finished in the Gold Cup, really. He was a little outpaced, then came back on the bridle and then he winged the fence he got brought down at.

“Next year is a long way off, but we will have a look at races like the Gold Cup nearer the time.”

Sounds Russian going for Gold Cup glory at Cheltenham

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Sounds Russian is Boodles Gold Cup-bound after connections made the decision to veto Kelso in favour of the Cheltenham Festival.

The eight-year-old has been in good form all season, winning the Edinburgh Gin Chase at Kelso on debut before placing fourth behind reigning Grand National hero and leading Gold Cup contender Noble Yeats in the Many Clouds at Aintree.

He was then second in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby and second again in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham – a trial for the Gold Cup in which he was beaten just a length a half by Ahoy Senor but reversed the form with the third-placed Noble Yeats.

Sounds Russian held an entry for Kelso’s Listed Premier Chase on Saturday and connections were pondering whether to aim for that or the Gold Cup, eventually deciding on the latter and not declaring for this weekend.

“The owners came on Tuesday and were quite keen to let him take his chance in the Gold Cup, so that’s where we’re going,” said Jefferson, who is the daughter of the late Malcolm Jefferson.

“I’ve never had a runner (in the Gold Cup) myself, I suppose we ran a couple in it (when her father was training), so it’ll be nice to have a crack.

“I’m realistic about his chances, but he’s a versatile, straightforward horse and he doesn’t do a lot wrong.

“Sean Quinlan will ride him, he’s ridden him round there now and so he should know what to do as the situation presents itself.

“I don’t think they’ll let the ground get quick, but it’s going to be challenging for them. He’s not ground dependent though, let’s be honest.”

Ruth Jefferson mulling Gold run for Sounds Russian

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Ruth Jefferson will leave Sounds Russian in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup and “chill for a bit” before deciding whether or not to take on Galopin Des Champs in chasing’s blue riband.

The eight-year-old Sholokov gelding has been a model of consistency, winning four of his nine starts over fences and finishing runner-up on three more occasions.

Sounds Russian ran Into Overdrive to half a length when second in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby on Boxing Day and then chased home Ahoy Senor in the Grade Two Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham last month.

The Norton-based handler will now take a step back and deliberate whether or not to go for Gold after watching Galopin Des Champs win the Irish Gold Cup with some ease at the weekend.

“We’ve left him in it and will consider pondering it,” said Jefferson.

“Galopin Des Champs was good. If you want to find the only negative you could possibly find, it is that the time was slow.

“It is like anything, you can make pros and cons to every horse in the race, including mine. So we will just chill and sit for a bit, and go from there.

“Whether it is a good Gold Cup or a bad Gold Cup, it will take a bit of winning. I’d rather win a bad Gold Cup than never win one.”

Sounds Russian is a general 20-1 chance for the extended three-and-a-quarter-mile March 17 feature.

Under Sean Quinlan, he had former King George VI Chase winner Frodon and Grand National winner Noble Yeats behind when producing an eye-catching run on his Prestbury Park debut.

Jefferson feels he has every right to line up, given his dependability.

“Sounds Russian is Mr Consistent, so we will leave him in and continue thinking about it,” she added.

“You can sit and make a case for him being there. So for the time being, we will leave him in and see where we are at.”

Ruth Jefferson hoping Sounds Russian can book Gold Cup ticket

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Sounds Russian will bid to underline his Gold Cup claims when he runs in the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday.

The promising chaser, who was just touched off by Into Overdrive in the Rowland Meyrick, conceding 15lb at Wetherby on Boxing Day, has an official rating of 161.

That has made him difficult to place and trainer Ruth Jefferson hopes to find out if she has a horse capable of competing at the highest level on her hands.

“If you run in a handicap, you’d probably be giving away a few pounds to the next horse, but he is caught a bit in between,” said the North Yorkshire-based handler.

“He’ll give weight away – I wouldn’t be too worried about giving weight away if need be, but we intend to run on Saturday.”

Jefferson is keen to see whether the Sholokov gelding could make the requisite jump into top-class company, having proved himself capable in Graded races.

Jefferson said: “Saturday will tell us a lot, won’t it? He has a Gold Cup entry and he will have a handicap entry somewhere, or we will steer clear and find something else. I don’t know. It is quite hard to say until we get Saturday out of the way.”

Any thoughts of potentially running in the Coral Trophy Handicap at Kempton next month may be on the back-burner, however.

She added: “I’m not 100 per cent certain he’s a horse that will go right-handed. That’s why we have never asked him to.

“And perhaps Kempton may be a bit sharp for him. I think there would be other right-handed tracks we would take him to first. Something will come up, there’s always something.

“You’d like to win another race before the end of the season – that would be the plan, but when you are rated 161, it is not quite as easy as it used to be.”