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Theatre connections hoping for good show at Ascot.
Connections have today confirmed Riverside Theatre will make his return from injury in this Saturday’s Ascot Chase.
Nicky Henderson’s charge suffered a stress fracture of the pelvis while preparing for last year’s Ryanair Chase at the 2011 Cheltenham Festival, but prior to that, he had won the 2011 running of the Ascot Chase by an impressive 10 lengths, and while this puts him in the position of possibly completing back to back wins in the Grade One two miile five furlong contest on Saturday, Nicky Henderson has indicated his gelding’s main objective will be the Ryanair Chase next month.
Also in Saturday’s line-up is the enigmatic Gauvain, who was second to Riverside Theatre in last year’s Ascot Chase, and also won the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon earlier this season, but how Nick Williams’ charge will perform on Saturday is not entirely known, as he has a habit of putting in bad performances when he is expected to do well.
The likely favourite amongst the 8 runners is Kauto Star’s half brother Kauto Stone. A winner on his seasonal debut for Paul Nicholls at Dwon Royal, the french import then put in a good effort to finish second to Sizing Europe in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown, and with Ruby Walsh booked to ride this Saturday, it would seem connections are hopeful.
Amongst the other runners are Alan King’s former smart hurdler Medermit, last season’s Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Little Josh, recent Ascot handicap winner Tatenen, while the field is then completed by I’msingingtheblues, and The Sawyer.
Dundalk scratched from Freedom agenda.
After due consideration, Jessica Harrington has confirmed she will not run Steps To Freedom at Dundalk tomorrow, and instead, her progressive novice hurdler will head straight to next month’s Supreme Novices Hurdle – the first race on the programme at the 4-Day Cheltenham Festival.
The six-year-old is undefeated in three starts over timber, and was last seen completing a victory over the course and distance of the Supreme Novices Hurdle when triumphant at Cheltenham last November.
While his lack of recent activity has seen Steps To Freedom drift slightly in the Supreme ante-post market in the last few days, his trainer does not seem overly concerned about the decision not to run at Dundalk, with Jessica Harrington commenting:
“Everything is fine, and we have just decided to go straight to Cheltenham. We had a good think about it, but we’ve decided to go straight there.”
Hector’s connections only hopeful about Kempton.
Hector’s Choice, who has proved himself progressive this season, is now in a race against time to be fit for the Racing Plus chase at Kempton on Saturday week.
Richard Lee’s charge started his current campaign with a win at Aintree back in October, and on his most recent outing last month, he only went down by a narrow margin to course specialist Tatenen in a valuable Handicap at Ascot.
While his efforts this season have seen Hector’s choice rise by 16 lb in the handicap, that is not the major problem facing connections at the moment, as the eight-year-old struck into himself in the Ascot race, and it is touch and go as to whether he will recover in time to line-up in the Kempton showpiece.
Elaborating on the current situation, Richard Lee said:
“I’m just not sure whether he’ll be ready in time for Kempton. He suffered a cut when he struck into himself at Ascot, and it’s just a matter of whether it comes right in time. It’s getting better every day, but it’s going to be tight.
“If he doesn’t make Kempton, he’ll go straight to the Cheltenham Festival. He’s entered in the Byrne Group Plate and the Festival Chase over 3 miles.
“He’s in great form, and he’s just continued to improve all season – I think he’s a bit like me – maturing late in life.”
Trainers to follow at the Cheltenham Festival.
Trainer Nicky Henderson’s two winners at The Cheltenham Festival in 2011, including a first Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup triumph with Long Run, took his overall historic record at the meeting to 39 winners, and this means he is now just one winner shy of the all-time record of 40 Festival winners, achieved by the late Fulke Walwyn between 1946 and 1986.
With a powerful team to look forward to again in 2012, there must be every chance that the master of Seven Barrows can re-write the history books.
However, reigning champion trainer Paul Nicholls has been leading trainer at The Festival six times and is now fourth on the all-time list with 30 successes, despite only saddling his first winner at the meeting in 1999.
Ireland’s most successful current trainer at The Festival is now Willie Mullins, who has 21 winners to his name. Mullins landed the Thomas Pink Leading Trainer Award for the first time in 2011 when his four victories included Hurricane Fly in the Stan James Champion Hurdle.
For those who follow statistics, the most successful current trainers with horses at this year’s Cheltenham Festival are:
39 Nicky Henderson (1985- )
30 Paul Nicholls (1999- )
21 Willie Mullins IRE (1995- )
18 Edward O’Grady IRE (1974- )
18 Jonjo O’Neill (1991- )
15 Philip Hobbs (1990- )
13 Nigel Twiston-Davies (1992- )
12 Alan King (2004- )
No Last Instalment At Cheltenham.
Progressive young chaser Last Instalment has been ruled out of his proposed engagement in the RSA Chase at Next month’s Cheltenham Festival. Trainer Philip Fenton’s decision to scratch his charge has come about after Last Instalment was found to be sore following his victory in last Sunday’s Dr P J Moriarty Novices Chase at Leopardstown.
Owned by Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud, the gelding was a leading fancy for the RSA Chase, and having already amassed four victories in an unbeaten season to date – two of his triumphs coming at Grade One level in the Fort Leaney and Moriarty Chases – his absence from the line-up at Cheltenham is a disappointment to connections and race-goers alike.
In a brief statement, Fenton was also down beat about the rest of the current national hunt season, commenting:
“He’s not going to run again this season. He was a little sore after Leopardstown, so I thought we might as well play safe.”
Southwell injury woe for Graham Lee.
Graham Lee’s national hunt campaign in the current season could be over after the jockey suffered a dislocated hip as a result of a fall at Southwell on Wednesday.
Lee incurred the injury when unseated from the Ferdy Murphy-trained Rich Lord in the Win Whatever The Result Betangel Handicap chase.
Initially thought to have suffered a broken femur, x-rays taken later at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham, showed that Lee had a hip injury which will certainly rule him out of riding at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, and there is a distinct possibility, the injury could force him to miss the rest of the current national hunt campaign.
Speaking last night, Lee’s agent Richard Hale said:
“I’ve spoken to Graham’s wife Becky, and he’s just come out of theatre. The hip was definitely dislocated and has just been put back in. As to whether he will need further surgery, that has yet to be confirmed.
“I would think an injury like that would mean the end of his season.”
Everything positive at Musselburgh.
Musselburgh Racecourse stages its final jumps meeting of the season today- Thursday 16 February – and the meeting marks the end of one of their most successful National Hunt seasons to date.
It’s the first time the East Lothian course has staged nine meetings and only suffered one abandonment due to weather, compared to three the previous year. Total attendance sits at more than 11,000 before today’s meeting, compared to just over 8000 last season and crowds are up by 5% on the five corresponding fixtures held in 2010/11 and 2011/12.
The racecourse is also ending the season on a high following its successful John Smith’s Scottish Cheltenham Trials last weekend. A combination of factors, including severe winter weather across most of the UK which hit other courses, favoured Musselburgh and it was the only UK jumps course in action over the weekend.
Musselburgh Racecourse general manager, Bill Farnsworth, said:
“From the disappointment of having to abandon the John Smith’s meeting on 05 February, Lady Luck shone on us and we were able to stage an additional fixture which grabbed all the headlines.
“It was a great opportunity to showcase the quality of horses and trainers which have made this meeting a genuine trials fixture for the Spring festivals proper at Cheltenham and Aintree. Attendances are up and the quality and prize money has improved, all making for one of our best ever National Hunt seasons.”
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