racing_news/

Chief Dan George Can Plunder at Wetherby
16/12/09

Trainer James Moffatt is hoping that Chief Dan George can plunder another big prize at Wetherby when he lines up in the £53,000 Grade Three coral.co.uk Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase (2.10pm), highlight of the first day of the Coral Christmas Meeting on Boxing Day, Saturday, December 26.

The nine-year-old landed a Grade Two novice hurdle at the West Yorkshire course in February, 2007, before going on to Grade One glory two months later in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree’s Grand National meeting.

A productive first season over fences last term included comfortable victories at Catterick and Kelso as well as a pleasing fifth on his handicap chase debut in the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr in April.

He was third on his seasonal return in a two and a half-mile intermediate chase at Carlisle on November 1 but returned sore after coming seventh in a Listed handicap chase over three miles at Newcastle on November 28.

Cartmel-based Moffatt reported: “The coral.co.uk Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase is the race we are targeting for Chief Dan George at the moment. We left him in the King George VI Chase, but it is just aiming a bit too high to take him to Kempton and Wetherby looks an ideal option.

“He had to have the best part of a week on the easy list after he ran at Newcastle - he was struck into on one of the fences down the back and came back lame in behind. So we feel that he didn’t give his true running there and he has come back into himself now. He is schooling well at home and he is very fresh and fit at the moment.

“He has obviously got some very good form over hurdles and I was pleased with his first campaign over fences. It is always difficult for second season chasers and we gave him a nice introduction at Carlisle but he didn’t seem to cope with the very bad ground.

“As long as the ground is reasonable, he will head to Wetherby, and it looks like he might get into the race off a nice low weight. He has the class to handle decent races like this but we would ideally like good going for him - if it comes up too soft, then we would consider running him in a hurdle instead.

“We are hoping to run him in the top staying handicap chases in the spring and the Scottish National will come into the equation again. Hopefully, we can get him to Wetherby and take it from there.”

The coral.co.uk Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase was first run in 1957 and boasts an outstanding roll of honour with subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Forgive’ N Forget (1984) and The Thinker (1986) among the previous winners, while Yahoo, famously runner-up to Desert Orchid in the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup, scored in 1987.

In recent years, Ferdy Murphy has won the three mile, one furlong contest with Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Truckers Tavern (2004) and Leading Man (2006), while last year saw reigning champion trainer Paul Nicholls land his first coral.co.uk Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase with Nozic.

The feature contest at Wetherby on Sunday, December 27, is the £23,000 coral.co.uk Castleford Handicap Chase over two miles. A handicap for horses rated up to 150, last year’s race went to the Howard Johnson-trained Santa’s Son, while Calatagan was the successful horse in both 2006 and 2007.

Advance ticket sales for the meeting can be purchased at www.wetherbyracing.co.uk or by phoning 01937 582 035.

Admission Prices (December 26 & 27): Premier Enclosure £27, Paddock Enclosure £16, Pick of the Paddock £21 (includes admission to the Paddock Enclosure, £4 Refreshment Voucher, £2 Tote Betting Voucher and Racecard), Pick of the Premier £38 (includes admission to the Premier Enclosure, 2 x £4 Refreshment Voucher, 2 x £2 Tote Betting Voucher and Racecard).