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Seabass run dependant on ground conditions.
Trainer Ted Walsh has indicated ground conditions at Kempton will dictate if his prolific winner Seabass will line up in the Racing Plus Chase on Saturday afternoon.
The nine-year-old is unbeaten in his last six outings, and has won valuable Handicaps at Limerick and Leopardstown during that run, but with ground conditions at Kempton drying out, Walsh is concerned the likely going on Saturday will not suit his charge – Seabass preferring ease in the ground.
With entries in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse on Saturday, or in the paddypower.com Chase at Naas on Sunday, Seabass does not need to come over to Britain, with his trainer explaining:
“It’s all going to depend on the weather. They’re calling the ground good at Kempton, and talking about watering if the rain doesn’t come, and that tells me it’s pretty quick, and that wouldn’t suit our horse.
“We’ve also got him entered at Fairyhouse and Naas, so we’ll just have to see how the weather goes during the week.
“We’d like to go to Kempton, but the trouble is, when you travel over, you’re tempted to run even when the ground isn’t right, and that’s not the same as going down the road to Fairyhouse or Naas, and then deciding not to run.”
With Kempton officials suggesting they may well water on Thursday, the chances of Seabass running on Saturday are currently being reduced day by day.
Pipe happy with Endeavour ahead of Cheltenham.
David Pipe seems very happy with his Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Great Endeavour ahead of March’s Cheltenham festival, and while his charge has two possible engagements in the form of the Ryanair Chase, or the Byrne Group Plate, reading between the lines, Pipe seems to be edging towards giving his gelding a potential clash with Riverside Theatre and Ruby Light in the Ryanair Chase, with the handler revealing:
“Great Endeavour has had a nice break and was very impressive when winning the Paddy Power Gold Cup. Then in the Hennessy he didn't see out the trip and the race at Cheltenham's December Meeting was one race too many – he made a bad mistake as well which was unusual as he is a very good jumper.
“We've freshened him up and he's best fresh. He's won at one Cheltenham Festival already and hopefully he can at a second. It didn't go according to plan last year as he was left at the start and that run can be completely written off.
“He's in the Ryanair Chase and the Byrne Group Plate and he's an in between horse. He'll have top weight in the latter and has a few pounds to find with Riverside Theatre in the Ryanair.
“He's rated 157 and Riverside is 165 but whichever race he runs in he'll run a big race.”
Pipe made his comments about Great Endeavour at a Paddy Power sponsored Pre-Cheltenham advisory meeting this morning, but when it came to Grands Crus, Pipe was totally enigmatic, not disclosing whether his outstanding novice chaser would go down the usual route of a run in the RSA Chase, or an attempt at upsetting his elders in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
It would seem on the subject of his favourite grey, Pipe is keeping his card firmly fixed to his chest until nearer the Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham to commence watering.
With just three weeks to go until the start of the Cheltenham Festival, and with ground conditions in Gloucestershire reported to be dry, Cheltenham Clerk of the course Simon Claisse has today confirmed he will start watering the various courses at Prestbury Park from Wednesday of this week.
Commenting on the current situation, Claisse said:
“The track is currently quicker than ideal, and warmer weather is on the way, with temperatures due to reach 14 or 15c. We were pretty much frozen from Cheltenham Trials Day to last Tuesday. So we will start watering from Wednesday, primarily to start activating the fertilizer we have put on the ground.
“The going is currently good – good to firm in places, and without 6 or 7 millimetres of water, we’d be good to firm all over by next Monday. We’ve had a very dry February, and the overall plan is to maintain the ground at ‘good’ for the Festival.”
Cue Card to have racecourse gallop.
Having missed his intended Cheltenham Festival ‘prep run’ in last Friday’s Game Spirit Chase at Newbury, Cue Card is set to have a racecourse gallop next week, as trainer Colin Tizzard attempts to get his novice chaser fully prepared for next month’s Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham.
The Champion Bumper winner at Cheltenham in 2010 was found to be slightly lame prior to Friday’s race at Newbury, and he was consequently scratched from the Game Spirit, but Tizzard is now happy with his charge, with the handler revealing:
“He was slightly lame when he came out of his box last Monday, and when he worked on a firm surface on Tuesday, he was nodding like he was feeling it, so we decided we couldn’t run him at Newbury on Friday.
“The plan is to give him a racecourse gallop next week, and he certainly worked well today, and now seems fine.
“It’s no problem going straight to cheltenham, as he’s already had four runs, and he’s a better horse this year.
“The opposition is looking pretty hot, in particular Sprinter Sacre, but I’m not worried about that, as Cue Card is a very good horse in his own right, and if we can get him to Cheltenham in the form he was showing today, then I would have no worries at all that he would have a good race.
“He was only a length and a quarter behind Sprinter Sacre in last year’s Supreme Novices Hurdle, and he had an interupted preparation for that race. He’s a lot better horse this year, he’s bigger and stronger, and he jumps well, so we’ll ride him quite prominently.
“It’s a Championship Race, so we’re not going to make any big predictions, but he’s proved himself at the Festival having already won the champion Bumper.”
Gold could tempt Beau connections.
Northumberland trainer George Charlton has indicated, in his opinion, Knockara Beau would not be a forlorn hope if he was allowed to take part in next month’s Betfred sponsored Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The nine-year-old has done himself proud at the last 3 Cheltenham Festivals, finishing fith in the 2009 Ballymore Properties Hurdle, fourth in the 2010 RSA chase, and fourth in the 2011 Pertemps Handicap Hurdle Final, and Charlton has confirmed he is tempted to allow Knockara Beau to take his chance in this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, particularly if some of the more fancied runners fail to make it to the Grade One blue ribbon contest next month.
However, to keep his options open, Charlton has also entered his charge in the Festival Handicap Chase, and having put in a good showing over an inadequate trip when runner-up to Nicky Henderson’s highly rated novice hurdler Simonsig in the recent Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso, Knockara Beau has shown he is going to Cheltenham ready once more to do himself justice, irrespective of his eventual target at next month’s Festival.
Evaluating his charge’s likely target, Charlton said:
“It was just a cantor round for him at Kelso, and he’s come out of it fine. He was only beaten by Simonsig, but we knew Nicky Henderson’s horse would be hard to beat, and my lad still had some good horses behind him.
“He’ll run at Cheltenham, and while I haven’t finalised the race yet, he’s got the options of the 3 mile Handicap, or the Gold Cup, and I’m just waiting to see if some of the good runners come out of the latter.
“Everyone is pushing to get to cheltenham, and there’s some good prize money right down to sixth place in the Gold Cup, and if he were to run well up the hill over that last furlong, you never know, he could end up in third or fourth. So in the back of my mind I’m already saying it’s the Gold Cup for him, but I will be still keeping my eye on the press to see who’s in or out, or who’s going well.
“Our horse is fine at present, and while he’ll need a fair bit of work to get him 100% for Cheltenham, we’ve already started building him up now, and his weight and condition looks good.”
Minsk set at last for seasonal debut.
Last year’s Irish Cesarewitch winner Minsk, who is already well supported in the ante post market on the JCB Triumph Hurdle at next month’s Cheltenham festival, is at long last due to have his seasonal debut over timber in Saturday’s Winning Fair Juvenile Hurdle at Fairyhouse.
The Cesarewitch victory was amongst three successive wins Minsk achieved in his last three races for John Oxx, and while he has been transferred to Dessie Hughes for his hurdling campaign, owner Barry Connoll has not lost sight of future races on the flat, indicating the 2012 Melburne Cup could be on Minsk’s agenda.
While rumours suggest Minsk has taken well to timber during his recent schooling exercises, and he is already as low as 6-1 in the ante post market on the Triumph Hurdle, he will face no easy task in Saturday’s Grade Two contest against 16 rivals including; three previous winners from Champion Trainer Willie Mullins’ yard - Ut de Sivola, Darroun, and Midnight Oil. While Noel Meade’s Bat Masterson, and Oliver Brady’s One Cool Shabra, have also scored wins in previous races.
Keighley yard suffers major setback.
Trainer Martin Keighley has suffered a major blow following the news Havingotascoobydo has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to an injury.
The seven-year-old had been joint second favourite in the ante-post market on next month’s Cheltenham Novices chase, (formerly the Centenary Novices Chase), at the Cheltenham Festival. He had achieved this high market positioning due to a strong series of performances in his outings so far this season, but he will now be unable to run having damaged muscles in his bac during a schooling exercise.
Tweeting about the situation, Keighley said:
“Havingotascoobydo damaged some muscles during a schooling exercise, and as he won’t now be ready for Cheltenham, we’ve decided to put him away for the season. The whole team are very disappointed, as he was going there with a great chance.”
Gamilati ear-marked for Guineas campaign.
Godolphin connections have confirmed Gamilati has been scratched from the UAE Oaks later this week, and instead, she will now be prepared for a run in either the Newmarket or French 1,000 Guineas later in the year.
The three-year-old filly, trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni, was an impressive winner of the UAE 1,000 Guineas on her most recent start, and connections have decided to keep her at a mile for the time being, with a step-up in trip possible later in the year.
Commenting, Godolphin Racing Manager, Simon Chrisford, said:
“We’ve decided not to extend her beyond a mile at this stage in her career, and that is why she has been withdrawn from the UAE Oaks.
“We’ll now wait until we get back to Europe before we race her again, and then we’ll look at the English and French 1,000 Guineas, but she will only race where she doesn’t have to face soft ground.”
After winning the Cherry Hinton Stakes last year, Gamilati tailed off towards the latter part of the 2011 campaign, but the way she has started this year in Dubai, she could be a force to be reckoned with come Guineas time.
Caviar clash not on Frankel agenda.
Prince Khalid Abdullah’s racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe has indicated a direct clash between Frankel and Black Caviar at Royal Ascot in June is highly unlikely.
Australian wonder-mare Black Caviar extended her unbeaten career record to nineteen straight wins at Flemington last Saturday, but to date, she has never raced further than 7 furlongs, and while she holds an entry in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot over a mile, connections have indicated her main target, if she comes over to Britain, is more likely to be the Group One Diamond Jubilee Stakes, (formerly the Golden Jubilee Stakes), over 6 furlongs.
However, Sir Henry Cecil has indicated Frankel is likely to be stepped up to 10 furlongs during the upcoming European season, and while a run in the one mile Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot, after an initial spin over a mile in Newbury’s Lockinge Stakes in May, is still a possibility, Frankel will also have an entry in the Prince of Wales’ Stakes over 10 furlongs at Royal Ascot, and the latter could well be his preferred option at the Royal Meeting.
Explaining that a meeting between Frankel and Black Caviar is unlikely, Teddy Grimthorpe said:
“Black Caviar is undoubtedly exceptional, but I can’t speak for which race she’s going to run in at Ascot. I did speak to her trainer Peter Moody at Flemington, but only briefly, and if it happens it happens, but to me, it seems as if we have different agendas.
“Henry is looking to extend Frankel’s distances this year, and while we’re going to start off over a mile in the Lockinge, we then have the option of staying over a mile at Royal Ascot in the Queen Anne, or extending Frankel up to 10 furlongs for the Prince of Wales Stakes.
“I can understand there’s an awful lot of good will out there for the two to get together, as one is the best horse in the Southern Hemisphere, and the other is the best horse in the Northern Hemisphere, but while they are the two best horses in the world, we don’t want to mess up our season for the sake of one race. If we do decide to run in the Queen Anne, and Black Caviar is in the same race, then so be it. But if Sir Henry decides a mile and a quarter is the way for him to go this season, then that’s the way we’ll go.
“It would be a great clash, but I’d be very surprised if it happens.”
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