Constitution Hill, Shishkin and Jonbon headline a star-studded card at Sandown on Saturday.
The rearranged Fighting Fifth Hurdle will see Nicky Henderson saddle both Constitution Hill (Nico de Boinville) and Shishkin (James Bowen).
Taking on the Seven Barrows duo are Goshen, Not So Sleepy and top-notch mares Love Envoi and You Wear It Well.
On an important afternoon for Henderson, Jonbon is odds-on for the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase in which he will face four rivals – Boothill, Edwardstone, Haddex Des Obeaux and Nube Negra.
Willmount is another leading contender for the team as the impressive Newbury winner moves up to Listed level in the Betfair Claremont Novices’ Hurdle.
Also on the Esher menu is the Betfair-sponsored Henry VIII Novices’ Chase, where the Joe Tizzard-trained JPR One bids to atone for an unfortunate mishap at Cheltenham last month.
Springwell Bay could take a shot at the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day following his taking victory at the track last month.
Jonjo O’Neill’s six-year-old was a progressive performer over timber last term, winning on three occasions before finishing his campaign in Grade One company at Aintree.
He made his first outing in the handicap ranks on his return to action at the November Meeting, but having obliged favourite backers with a good deal up his sleeve, could be set for an immediate return to a higher calibre of contest.
“He might go to the Relkeel,” said O’Neill.
“He’s in good form at home and ran a nice race there at Cheltenham last time, so hopefully he can improve on that.
“He has had plenty of problems, so you are always just biting your lip a little bit with him. But he has the ability if everything goes according to plan for him, so fingers crossed.”
The Jackdaws Castle handler has always held the Gay Smith-owned gelding in high regard and believes the Prestbury Park Grade Two would give a good indication as to Springwell Bay’s credentials in deeper waters.
When asked about him developing into a Graded-level operator, O’Neill added: “That’s what you would hope for and the Relkeel would probably tell you a lot, so that would be one of his options, anyway.”
Oisin Murphy’s hurdles debut has been delayed after Thursday’s meeting at Wincanton was abandoned.
The three-times champion Flat jockey was due to have his first spin over obstacles aboard the Cian Collins-trained Lets Do This in the Danny McNab Bookmakers “National Hunt” Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at the Somerset track.
However, the fixture has been called off due to significant rain, with clerk of the course Daniel Cooper able to make a decision well ahead of the planned 8am inspection.
Cooper is also clerk at Exeter, where a 7.30am precautionary inspection on raceday will determine the prospects for Friday’s planned card.
Market Rasen hosts Thursday’s National Hunt action, with the ground reported to be soft, with heavy places on the chase track.
Sunday’s card at Huntingdon, which is scheduled to feature the Grade Two Peterborough Chase, is subject to a 2pm inspection on Thursday.
Sam Curran redeemed himself after his weekend drubbing and England captain Jos Buttler rediscovered his Midas touch in his side’s series-levelling victory over the West Indies in Antigua.
Chasing 203, Will Jacks put England into the ascendancy with a sparkling 73 off 72 balls, including four sixes and six fours, but his downfall left the tourists wobbling on 116 for four in the 20th over.
Buttler, who had been averaging 14.1 since the start of a miserable World Cup for himself and his team, gradually bloomed and his unbeaten 58 off 45 deliveries – his first fifty in 14 ODIs – sealed England’s six-wicket win.
Harry Brook finished on 43 not out as England prevailed with 17.1 overs to spare although the architect of them ensuring a decider in Barbados on Saturday was Curran, who took three for 33 in seven overs.
Having recorded the most expensive figures by an England bowler in Sunday’s four-wicket defeat, leaking 98 runs in 9.5 overs, the left-arm seamer snared top-order trio Keacy Carty, Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer.
After the Windies lurched to 23 for four, captain Shai Hope did his bit for nominative determinism, following up his match-winning ton a few days ago with a run-a-ball 68 and rookie Sherfane Rutherford chipped in with 63 before the pair were dismissed by Liam Livingstone, who took three for 39.
Curran was initially wayward again and belted for three fours by King but an opening stand that put on 104 on Sunday was snuffed out for 15 here after Gus Atkinson scythed through Alick Athanaze, with England’s review for caught behind showing a big snick on UltraEdge.
Curran’s fortunes shifted as angled deliveries took the edges of Carty and King to Zak Crawley before Hetmyer was rapped on the back pad by a fuller ball. The not-out verdict was overturned after Ben Duckett seemed to persuade Buttler into sending the decision upstairs.
Curran’s three wickets in eight balls left Hope and Rutherford, in his second ODI, with a mountainous rebuild. A 129-run stand followed as smoke from the barbecue vendors beyond the stands occasionally drifted across the ground, Hope settling with three straight driven fours in an Atkinson over.
Brydon Carse was taken the distance by Hope as the partnership grew, with both Windies batters going past fifties, Rutherford doing so with a mighty heave off the otherwise parsimonious Rehan Ahmed.
Having been held back until the 26th over, Livingstone broke the union when Rutherford drove loosely to Phil Salt in the ring while Yannic Cariah was castled through the gate by a floaty off-spinner.
Livingstone had the big fish with a precision piece of bowling, his leg-spinner leaving Hope in two minds, missing an indeterminate prod and his off-stump as a consequence.
Livingstone’s figures were dented by Romario Shepherd’s four fours in an over but the Windies subsided after he holed out to Rehan, whose figures of 10-1-40-2 were identical to what he recorded on Sunday.
Despite tricky conditions, Salt and Jacks were authoritative from the off, evoking the spirit of predecessors Jason Roy and first Alex Hales then Jonny Bairstow.
The pair rode their luck, edging wide of slip off Alzarri Joseph before Salt’s luck ran out on 21, bowled by Shepherd, after a 50-run stand.
The early battle between Joseph and Jacks was worth the entry fee alone. A rising snorter took Jacks’ glove and ballooned over Hope but the opener responded by hammering over backward square-leg and then repeated the trick off Shepherd. Jacks then smeared Oshane Thomas over backward point for a third six.
Crawley chopped on off Gudakesh Motie, who found the glove when Duckett went for a customary sweep before Brook edged agonisingly short of slip from his first ball as tension crept in.
Nerves may have been jangling when Jacks was lbw to one that kept low from Rutherford, bringing out Buttler, who had been dismissed for single figures in five of his previous eight innings.
He made a cagey start and was beaten twice on the outside edge by leg-spinner Cariah but he steadily grew in confidence alongside Brook.
A whipped four off Joseph was followed by a skip down the track and thump for back-to-back sixes off Cariah as Buttler started to find some rhythm.
The second of those monstrous blows was measured at 94 metres before another mighty mow off Thomas brought up a 43-ball half-century. Buttler took 16 off that Thomas over to level the scores.
It was left to Brook to get over the line and he did so by sweeping Motie behind square for four in the 33rd over.
Gerardo Martino is an excellent man-manager and would have made Inter Miami MLS Cup contenders had a Lionel Messi-inspired Herons been able to gatecrash this year's playoffs.
That is the view of Houston Dynamo midfielder Hector Herrera, who played under the former Barcelona boss when he coached Mexico's national team between 2019 and 2022.
Having guided Atlanta United to the MLS Cup in 2018, Martino became Miami boss in July as the David Beckham-owned franchise brought in former Barcelona trio Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Those arrivals immediately led to an upturn for Miami, who won the Leagues Cup in August following a series of mesmerising displays from Messi, but they were unable to force their way into the playoffs.
Messi only made four regular-season starts for Miami this year as the Argentina great battled a niggling injury, and the Herons ultimately finished nine points adrift of the Eastern Conference's wild card spots.
Miami will certainly be among the favourites to enjoy a postseason run in 2024, and Herrera feels their rivals were slightly fortunate to see them fall short this campaign.
Asked what makes Martino special as a coach, Herrera told Stats Perform: "I think his personality and the work he does on every team he has.
"That is what has made him win so many things and be so well-known in the world of football.
"Personally, he is a coach who has helped me a lot, I have a great relationship with him and I love the way he plays.
"He has shown it with every team he has had and until today at Inter Miami he gave another face to the team and got better results.
"We knew that if they entered the playoffs, they were going to be one of the favourite teams and were going to compete for the championship."
Herrera fell just short of reaching the MLS Cup Final after the Dynamo were defeated by Los Angeles FC, who will face Columbus Crew following their comeback victory over Supporters' Shield winners FC Cincinnati.
Luis Suarez's proposed move to Inter Miami would be a suitable fit, with the striker capable of further growing the profile of MLS if he is reunited with Lionel Messi in Florida.
That is according to Suarez's former Atletico Madrid team-mate Hector Herrera, who says the Uruguayan is a "winner" and would face no problems in adapting to the league.
Suarez has been strongly linked with a move to Miami, where Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba have all been reunited with former Barcelona boss Gerardo Martino.
Having won LaLiga five times during eight years in Spain with Barca and Atleti, Suarez returned to his boyhood club Nacional in 2022 before heading to Brazil to join Gremio for 2023.
Reports suggest Suarez may join Miami as a free agent after Gremio coach Renato Gaucho confirmed he is set to depart on Saturday, and Herrera believes MLS would be the perfect destination for the 36-year-old.
"Hopefully he can come to this league and help it continue to grow," the Houston Dynamo midfielder, who played with Suarez in Madrid between 2020 and 2022, told Stats Perform.
"With the quality of player he is and as a person, he will surely help any team that he comes to. It would be a pleasure to see him and face him again.
"He has played in many leagues, in many teams, and I don't think it will be difficult for him to adapt because he is a winner.
"Obviously we know that he will contribute a lot to the team that he goes to, and to the whole league as well."
Suarez leads all Gremio players for goals (15) and assists (12) in the Brazilian top flight this season, with the team currently sitting in fourth after winning promotion back to the first tier last year.
Herrera feels he would be a real asset for Miami, who won the first trophy in their history in August as Messi led them to glory in the Leagues Cup.
Asked about the prospect of Suarez teaming up with Messi, Herrera said: "I have no doubt that he could go to that team because I know that they are great friends and their families have a good relationship.
"It makes sense for him to come to Inter Miami. Messi's arrival gave another face and another perspective to the league and will help it grow.
"We are talking about the current winner of the Ballon d'Or and it is a pleasure to have him in the league, to be able to face him and make MLS continue to grow.
"We have seen the level that he has shown since he arrived, and surely next year will be even better."
Andrew Flintoff will rejoin England’s backroom staff for their T20 series against West Indies later this month.
The former England captain has gradually returned to the public eye following a car crash while filming a stunt for BBC programme Top Gear 12 months ago, which left him with facial and rib injuries.
Coaxed by close friend and director of England men’s cricket Rob Key, Flintoff first linked up with the national side in an unpaid role for ODI series against New Zealand and Ireland before the World Cup.
Flintoff, whose performances with bat and ball in England’s 2005 Ashes triumph earned him cult hero status, has since been confirmed as head coach of Northern Superchargers men’s side in The Hundred.
He is not part of the England set-up for their ODI series against the Windies but it is understood he will fly out to Barbados later this week ahead of five T20s, the first of which is next Tuesday.
The 46-year-old, who will be paid for being a team mentor, has most recently been in Abu Dhabi for an England Lions winter training camp.
Reece Topley has also had a circuitous route to the West Indies, having convalesced from his latest injury blow with a trip to Los Angeles – where the people he encountered thought cricket involved horses or was the real-life version of Quidditch.
The introduction of Major League Cricket this year and the sport being included in the programme for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 represent big strides in the battle to crack the United States market.
But Topley discovered cricket still has some way to go to capture the American public’s imagination after a Stateside trip to recover from a broken finger which brought an early end to his World Cup.
“The amount of times I had to explain cricket to people – it ranged from people asking me ‘is it the sport with horses?’ Or even asking me if it was the sport that was in Harry Potter,” Topley said.
“It’s got a lot of things that Americans would love about cricket; all of their sports are centred around stats and cricket’s got a million stats.
“I feel like there should be that natural affiliation or selling point. I don’t know if it’s happened just yet but hopefully it’s on the horizon.”
Like Flintoff, Topley is not part of England’s ODI squad but travelled to Antigua early to train ahead of a planned comeback in the first T20, having started bowling again recently.
Having an intrepid outlook on life helps to explain his resilience from constant setbacks, from multiple stress fractures in his back to an ankle issue caused by stepping on a boundary sponge days before England’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign in Australia and his latest injury in India.
“I don’t think anything is going to be achieved from sitting around and droning on about things or feeling sorry for yourself or looking for external validation,” the 29-year-old left-arm fast bowler said.
“It’s more a case of how do you move forward? The best step is always to have a level head, a drive to want to develop yourself because it is a short career in terms of your life and injuries may happen.
“Wrap my head around why did it happen at the last World Cup or the T20 one before that, but again it’s just not going to get anyone anywhere. It’s just best to just get your head down and work towards it.
“I’m happy doing that when I’m around cricket but then as soon as I’m off duty, it goes right to the back of my head again.
“I don’t think I’m all engulfed in cricket. I do have a viewpoint that I’m still in my 20s and this only comes around once. It’s important to experience certain things whenever you can.”
Ascot has announced an increase in prize-money for 2024 when the King’s Stand sprint will also be run as the King Charles III Stakes for the first time.
Prize-money for 2024 will be worth £17.5million, an increase of 3.9 per cent on 2023, with Royal Ascot accounting for £10million on its own.
The figure excludes the industry-owned Qipco British Champions Day fixture in October.
Group One races at Royal Ascot will be run for a minimum of £650,000 (up from £600,000) while no race will be worth less than £110,000 at the big meeting.
Royal Ascot 2023 benefitted from the first royal winner since the King’s succession to the throne through William Haggas’ Desert Hero.
Nick Smith, director of racing and public affairs at Ascot, said: “We are pleased to be delivering these prize-money increases in 2024 against a backdrop of uncertainty and an unprecedented number of negative headwinds for the industry. The financial impact on all facets of the industry is already being acutely felt.
“It is, however, crucial for Royal Ascot to maintain its position on the global stage at a time when participants at home and abroad have so many alternative lucrative options away from Britain.
“Whist the main increases have been made to the Royal meeting to enable us to get to £10million for the first time, we have made increases in other areas of the programme as well.
“These include increases to fit with the new Premier fixture structure, including at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, where there is a particular focus on maintaining full fields.
“Importantly, no race at Ascot will be run for less than in 2023 including at our core (non-Premier) fixtures. This is in spite of a reduction in central funding to this element of the programme, which has therefore required further increases in executive contribution.”
Moca FC of the Dominican Republic qualified for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup after playing to a 1-1 stalemate with Jamaican side Harbour View in the second leg of the 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup Third-Place playoff at the Estadio Cibao in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday night.
The result earned Moca a 3-2 victory on aggregate and passage to Round One of the 2024 Champions Cup. It is their first Champions Cup qualification.
There was not much in the way of chances in the first 45 minutes. It was not until toward the end of the half that the best looks at goal arrived, and they were both for Moca.
Victor Sanchez was in on goal, but saw his effort denied by Harbour View's goalkeeper Anthony Bennett. That was quickly followed by a swerving, dipping shot from Sebastian Valencia that sliced wide of net.
Harbour View started carving out some chances for themselves in the second half, and Andre Fagan could only shake his head in disbelief after he headed over the crossbar when left unmarked on a corner kick in the 56th.
The "Stars of the East" kept pressing and their efforts bore fruit in the 64th, when a free kick was played deep into the Moca FC area, and Ajuma Johnson arrived at the far post to finish on the volley.
Still requiring another goal due to Moca's away goal tiebreaker, Harbour View pushed for another, but Moca FC had other ideas and quickly evened the contest in the 68th, when a ball from Sebastian Valencia went through a sea of players.
Harbour View doubled down on attack and Moca FC's goalkeeper Odalis Baez was summoned to make a big save in 78th from an Ajeanie Talbott effort.
Harbour View’s last push came in the waning seconds, and a mad scramble in front of goal saw a shot ring off the crossbar, before eventually being cleared by Moca's defence, as they were resolute in holding on to their aggregate advantage.
William Haggas has raised the possibility of the King and Queen’s Desert Hero running in Australia in the new year.
A winner at Royal Ascot in June, he then chased Classic glory in the St Leger at Doncaster but with the King and Queen in attendance he could only finish an honourable third.
He was briefly under consideration for the Melbourne Cup which created a real buzz in Australia, but plans were shelved to give him time to recover from his Classic bid.
Now Haggas, who has enjoyed great success in Australia with the likes of Addeybb and Dubai Honour, has suggested the Tancred Stakes, a Group One over a mile and a half at Rosehill in Sydney, could be a viable option.
“We won’t decide until January. They won’t go into quarantine until February 20 and the first race is March 23, I think they would arrive in Australia on March 9,” Haggas told Sky Sports Racing.
“Dubai Honour is going to go and a staying horse called Post Impressionist will go who has been sold to Australian connections.
“We are umming and ahhing about Desert Hero maybe going for the Tancred Stakes, I’m not sure. He’s not thriving at the moment so I’m not sure. He’s just not enjoying the cold but there’s plenty of time, he’s come back in from his holiday so we’ll see.
“We won’t make any decision on him for ages. It’s a long way off.”
Vincent Ho saw off the challenge of some of the best riders around the world to win the International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley in Hong Kong.
Ho, best known for his association with local superstar Golden Sixty, who will be back in action at the weekend attempting to win the Hong Kong Mile for a third time, needed victory in the last leg on Tomodachi Kokoroe to seal the title having finished third in the first two contests.
The likes of Ryan Moore, Tom Marquand, Hollie Doyle and Zac Purton were also in action, but Ho sealed victory with a half-length success aboard David Hayes’ charge.
“Of course I’m very happy, I didn’t know about the score so it’s great,” said Ho.
“I’m pleased to have a winner. When the horse changed legs today, he came home very well.
“I was lucky to get some good draws today and of course it is a privilege to join all the top jockeys here, I enjoy racing against them.
“It’s good to have a home-grown jockey win it to inspire more upcoming jockeys.”
Ho took the title with 20 points, with Purton second on 18 and Rachel King, once racing secretary for Clive Cox in the UK and now a multiple Group One-winning jockey in Australia, third on 16.
King won the first leg on Oversubscribed and said: “I had to pinch myself halfway up the straight as the horse just travelled into it and if anything, I thought I might have got there a little bit too soon.
“He was a beautiful ride, he showed me around the track and it was a perfect start.”
Moore, who won the second leg on M Unicorn, said: “It’s always a real pleasure to be asked to ride here, I love to ride at Happy Valley, it’s a fantastic week. It’s great to have a winner but I appreciate being here.”
Freshness has been cited as the reason for the below-par display from Marie’s Rock at Newbury, with owners Middleham Park Racing no closer to knowing if their star mare truly stays three miles.
The Nicky Henderson-trained eight-year-old was a Cheltenham Festival heroine for her syndicate members in 2022 before following up at the Punchestown Festival the following month.
She added to her haul of victories when successfully reappearing in the Relkeel Hurdle on New Year’s Day but failed to defend her Mares’ Hurdle crown when seventh behind Honeysuckle.
Having decided against a move up to three miles at the Festival, connections finally made the step up in distance at Aintree a month later, where she finished second to a thriving Sire Du Berlais.
Given another chance to prove herself over a staying trip, Marie’s Rock was sent off the 6-5 favourite to get her new campaign off to a winning start in Newbury’s Long Distance Hurdle.
However, over-exuberance both pre-race and in the early exchanges put paid to her chances and left connections willing to put a line through her disappointing fourth-placed finish under Nico de Boinville.
“I suspected we knew our fate when she was leaving the parade ring really, and she was as wound up as I’ve seen her in recent memory,” explained Tom Palin, racing manager for Middleham Park’s National Hunt string.
“She is Marie’s Rock, she does get sweaty and she does get buzzy, but she was very, very on it and Nico said she was on it at the start, just always on her nerves.
“She came there looking like she was going to be deadly and nothing was found and that was because she spent her energy at the start really, the damage was done before the tapes went up.
“There’s a fine line with horses like her and she’s so brilliant and so quick, but you just need to harness it and I think she was just too fresh and too free to do herself any form of justice.”
The defeat has left the Middleham Park team scratching their heads regarding Marie’s Rock’s next move, still lacking clarity over their eight-time winner’s staying potential.
Although eased in the Long Walk Hurdle market, connections are refusing to completely give up on three-mile ambitions, despite a crack at back-to-back Relkeel Hurdle victories followed by the Mares’ Hurdle back down in trip creeping onto the radar.
“We’ll regroup and go again and see whether we go again over three miles next time or drop back to two-and-a-half for the Relkeel,” added Palin.
“She’s the defending champion in that and is very good over two-and-a-half-miles at Cheltenham. That could be just the ticket, or we could stick to three miles in the Long Walk.
“We’ll have a bit of a discussion as a syndicate and with the trainer and see just where she is in the next 10 days or so.
“She was too free to accurately judge if she is going to be a three miler or not, but what I would say is that at this stage, the Mares'(Hurdle) is a bit more open to consideration than it was going into Friday.
“My comments (previously) have been it’s very much just the three-mile route, but when the facts change, your opinions are allowed to change as well and I’m not as all-in – nor is Nicky or the team – on the three-mile division being her sole campaign this year. We’ll know more as the season goes on.”
If abandoning the Long Walk in favour of the Relkeel, one possible route available to the Marie’s Rock team is a temporary drop in distance that allows the mare the chance to defend her crown, before a third attempt at three miles over the Stayers’ Hurdle track and trip in the Cleeve Hurdle on Festival Trials Day.
“You could go Relkeel and then onto the Cleeve at the end of the month and go back up to three miles that way,” continued Palin.
“Then she will be hard fit because she’s had two runs, burnt off any freshness and there would be no excuses.
“You would have a pretty good sighter and handle on whether she is right to line up in a Grade One staying race from there on in.”
Cian Collins could record a unique double in providing Oisin Murphy with his first ride over hurdles at Wincanton on Thursday.
Collins helped close friend Denis O’Regan complete the full set of a winner at all the Irish and UK National Hunt tracks recently when Fiveonefive won at Hereford. Not long after that, O’Regan retired from the saddle a happy man.
Now Collins is hoping to provide another of his friends with a noteworthy success as Murphy, a multiple champion Flat jockey in the UK and nephew of three-times Gold Cup winner Jim Culloty, switches codes briefly.
Murphy rides the Collins-trained Lets Do This in the Danny McNab Bookmakers “National Hunt” Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
“It’s created a bit of a stir on the internet I’ve seen, so hopefully it all goes well,” said Collins.
“We had Denis ride the winner at Hereford for us so hopefully this works out just as well, it would be nice.
“I can’t imagine riding over hurdles will be an issue for Oisin, he’s a top-quality horseman, it shouldn’t be a problem at all.
“I think the horse has a very good chance, hopefully, and let’s hope the meeting is on. They’ve had a dry day today so hopefully it should be.”
Brendan Powell is backing JPR One to make amends for a final-fence blunder last time out when he returns for the Betfair Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown Park on Saturday.
The Joe Tizzard-trained gelding looked to be en route to Grade Two success in the Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last month but made an error at the last and unseated his rider.
Connections will regroup at the weekend for the Henry VIII, success in which would be a first at the Grade One level for Powell after multiple placings throughout his career.
“I’m really looking forward to riding JPR One again as he looked like he was going to be an impressive winner at Cheltenham before making a mistake and getting rid of me at the last fence,” he said.
“This is a race that will take a bit of winning, but I wouldn’t want to be on any other horse and hopefully I can make up for what happened at Cheltenham on Saturday.
“I think I’ve been second in seven or eight Grade Ones, but I don’t think I’ve ridden in a Grade One where I’ve had a proper live chance, but this weekend I do and that makes it even more exciting.
“It is something I want to get on my CV, and it is something I want to achieve before I finish my career.
“To win a Grade One for Joe would mean just as much to me as winning a Grade One for myself. I think Joe was a big influence on me riding for the Tizzard team again.
“I’ll always be grateful to him for that and to repay him with a Grade One win would be amazing.”
Though the Cheltenham mishap was costly, the six-year-old otherwise ran a pleasing race and has taken to chasing well after a successful hurdling career.
“That was the frustrating thing as he didn’t put a foot wrong the whole way around at Cheltenham,” Powell said.
“He jumped and travelled and quickened well turning in. He has got all the attributes to be a good horse.
“He gave me a good spin at Newton Abbot on his debut over fences and I was quite surprised the price he was that day as well. He was seriously well handicapped that day if he came back to form over fences.
“The most important thing for our novice chasers is that they have a nice time and a good experience first time over fences. He did that and managed to win as well, which was a bonus.
“Hopefully on Saturday he should be good enough to be there, or thereabouts, at the back end of the race, then I suppose it will be then when we find out if he is good enough.”
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