racing_news/

Guest Dreaming of European Glory in totescoop6 Handicap Chase 12/11/08

Trainer Ferdy Murphy hopes that Leading Man can return to winning ways at his favourite racecourse as both he and stablemate Trisons Star are set to take their chances in the three mile, one furlong, £20,000 totesport.com Handicap Chase (2.55pm), the highlight of a quality seven-race card at Wetherby on Saturday, November 15.

Leading Man boasts a fantastic record at the Yorkshire course, having been successful in the One Man Novices’ in December, 2005, and beaten Sir Rembrandt by eight lengths in the Grade Three skybet.com Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase on Boxing Day the following year. On his only other appearance at Wetherby, the eight-year-old gelding was second behind Lothian Falcon in last year’s Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase.

Leyburn-based Murphy reports his chaser, who finished 13th on his latest start in the Grade Three Scottish Grand National at Ayr in April, to be in fine form following a wind operation during the summer.

He commented: “Leading Man and Trisons Star have both been entered in the totesport.com Handicap Chase and I think both of them might take their chances in the race.

“We’ve also entered Leading Man at Cheltenham but he obviously loves it round Wetherby and so I would prefer to send him there. We’ve had a wind operation done on him over the summer and he seems in great form at the moment. He’s done quite a bit of work and we are looking forward to getting him back on a racecourse.

“Although he hasn’t won since taking the skybet.com Rowland Meyrick Handicap in 2006, he’s run some really good races since, including coming second in the same race last year. His wind has been bothering him for a while and so we finally decided to have him operated on after the Scottish National.

“He looks good now and we are keen to get a run into him prior to another possible tilt at the Becher Chase the following week, where he caught the first fence wrong and fell last year. He won’t mind carrying a lot of weight and he will have no problem with the forecast good to soft ground.”

Trisons Star is also set to make his seasonal reappearance in the totesport.com Handicap Chase. The 10-year-old was pulled up in the race two years ago but has since gone on to be victorious three times in handicap chases at Newcastle.

Murphy continued: “Trisons Star is not quite in the same league as Leading Man but he’s a good little horse who has been running well at places like Newcastle and Sedgefield. I’d like to get the freshness out of him and Saturday’s race could be ideal for him.

“He was pulled up at Wetherby in the totesport betXtra Handicap Chase in March when the ground was good to firm but I think he’s a better horse with a bit of give in the going. It looks like it could be a decent race to get his season underway and I would be hopeful that he would run well if he took his chance.”

The totesport.com Handicap Chase looks set to be a competitive affair, with 28 horses entered in the race, including The Dark Lord, who was third in the Listed Midlands Grand National on his latest start, the unexposed Quarry Town, Wetherby specialist Manbow and the Jamie Snowden-trained pair of Ocean Du Moulin and Sweet Diversion.

Elsewhere on Saturday’s card, trainer Richard Guest is hoping that European Dream can run a big race in the extended two-mile £10,000 totescoop6 Handicap Hurdle (3.25pm).

The five-year-old, owned by the You Trotters syndicate that includes Hull City manager Phil Brown and ex-Bolton and Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce amongst its members, also boasts a good record at Wetherby, having won the Rachel Wright Memorial Hurdle in October, 2006, and finished third behind Degas Art and subsequent Champion Hurdle winner Katchit in the Listed Weatherbys Bank Wensleydale Juvenile Novices' Hurdle later the same month.

Last season, European Dream came third in Listed handicap hurdles at Newbury and Sandown, before going on to run on the Flat, contesting valuable handicaps in Dubai and the famous Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster.

Guest, who was disappointed with European Dream’s below-par run on his seasonal debut in a handicap hurdle at Market Rasen at the end of September, now believes that his talented dual-code performer is back to his best.

The Worksop-based handler said: “European Dream has been given an entry in the totescoop6 Handicap Hurdle and he’s an intended runner in the race. He seems in great form at home and the yard had a winner the other day so my horses appear to be coming right again.

“We fancied him at Market Rasen and his poor run was one of the reasons why I decided to shut the yard for two weeks because he is such a consistent horse. We disinfected everywhere and the horses seem to be running much better now.

“On the pick of his form, he should go close and he’s run well at Wetherby. He won a hurdle there and then finished third to Degas Art and Katchit in a Listed race.

“Hull City are playing Manchester City on Sunday so Phil Brown will be turning up to see the horse run and I hope it will be a welcome distraction from all the pressures of the Premiership.

“European Dream has been a tremendous servant for the yard over jumps and on the Flat. He’ll be aimed at the major handicap hurdles throughout the season and hopefully he can get his head in front on Saturday.”

A total of 32 horses have been entered for the totescoop6 Handicap Hurdle, including the progressive Hibiki from the yard of Philip Hobbs, dual course winner Smoothly Does It, the hat-trick seeking Postmaster, and the Howard Johnson-trained Knockavilla, who won the New Bramham Hall For Conferences & Banqueting Novices' Hurdle on his only appearance over hurdles in November, 2007.

GROUND
The ground at Wetherby is currently Good to Soft, Good in Places.

Clerk of the Course and Chief Executive Jonjo Sanderson commented: “We had 16 millimetres of rain over the weekend and there is no appreciable rain forecast for the rest of the week. We could see some strong winds in the next few days which could dry out the ground marginally but I am not expecting underfoot conditions to change a great deal prior to the weekend.”

Advance tickets can still be purchased by calling the course on 01937 582035 or online at www.wetherbyracing.co.uk