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Dickin Getting Restless Over Harry’s Return to Cheltenham 03/12/10
Trainer Robin Dickin is keeping his fingers crossed that the current cold snap gripping the country subsides ahead of next weekend so that his stable star Restless Harry can take his chance in the £35,000 Grade Two Unicoin Homes Relkeel Hurdle (3.40pm) on the second day of The International at Cheltenham on Saturday, December 11.
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The six-year-old recorded a pair of impressive victories at the home of Jump racing last season, including when posting an eight-length success in the Grade Two Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle, run over the same extended two and a half miles as the Unicoin Homes Relkeel Hurdle, on Festival Trials Day, January 30.
On his latest start, Restless Harry stayed on well in the closing stages to come home third behind Silviniaco Conti and Karabak in the Grade Two Coral Hurdle over just shy of two and a half miles at Ascot on November 20.
Dickin reported: “Restless Harry is on course for the Unicoin Homes Relkeel Hurdle. We were very, very pleased with his run at Ascot and he is really well at the moment. We have a huge rubber outdoor school, which has frost covers, so the weather hasn’t stopped us at all.
“We gave him an entry in the Long Walk at Ascot (December 18) just to keep our options open with regard to the weather. We will be stepping him up to three miles at some point this season, although it may not be until The Festival. I am not deliberately avoiding running him over that trip, but I don’t think that it is necessary to keep running him over that far.
“I am hoping that the snow turns to rain and then it keeps raining because it’s a case of the wetter the better for him. It’s not really a question of him running better on softer ground - he goes the same as he does on faster going - but other horses don’t seem to operate as well on very testing conditions.
“The Ladbrokes World Hurdle is highly likely to be his main aim this season and I wouldn’t be scared of coming up against Big Buck’s. There’s a very good saying - never don’t run because of one - and he ran such a big race against stiff opposition at Ascot that I feel fairly relaxed about taking on the best staying hurdlers this season.”
The second day of The International features the £150,000 Grade Two StanJames.com International (3.05pm) over two miles and a furlong, which is set to be contested by some of the leading contenders for the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on the opening day of The Festival, Tuesday, March 15.
The Philip Hobbs-trained Menorah has been victorious on both his visits to Cheltenham, taking the Grade One Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at The Festival in March and the £100,000 Grade Three Greatwood Handicap Hurdle under top-weight at The Open on November 14.
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The second day of The International also features the £150,000 Grade Three December Gold Cup (2.30pm) and the 30 remaining entries for the two mile, five furlong handicap chase include Little Josh, who posted a pillar to post victory for trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies and his jockey son Sam in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at The Open.
Other notable contenders include the Nicky Henderson-trained Dave’s Dream, who also triumphed at The Open when readily taking the paddypower.com Handicap Chase, the Paddy Power Gold Cup runner-up Dancing Tornado, from the stable of Michael Hourigan in Ireland, and Great Endeavour, who won the Byrne Group Plate at The Festival for trainer David Pipe.
The remaining races on Saturday’s card include the three-mile £25,000 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (1.55pm).
The first day of The International, Friday, December 10, is headed by the Listed £40,000 www.maxwell-drummond.com Handicap Chase (1.50pm), which was won in 2008 by subsequent Grand National victor Mon Mome, and the £22,500 Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase (1.15pm) over Cheltenham’s unique cross country course.
