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Argento Chase 

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Tidal Bay Aims for Argento Chase
19/01/11

Tidal Bay stormed to an impressive victory in the Grade Two Cleeve Hurdle on Festival Trials Day last year and the talented 10-year-old will bid for another victory at this season’s high-class fixture on Saturday, January 29, but this time he will seek glory in the £90,000 Grade Two Argento Chase (2.35pm).

Tidal Bay
© racing-images.co.uk

Tidal Bay

The prestigious contest, staged over just short of three and a quarter miles and a key pointer to the Grade One totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup at The Festival in March, is the feature event on the seven-race card.

Trainer Howard Johnson won the Argento Chase with Grey Abbey in 2005 and is hopeful that Tidal Bay can reproduce the form of his most recent effort, a close second to totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Imperial Commander in the Grade One Betfair Chase at Haydock Park on November 20.

Imperious when winning the Grade One The Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy over two miles at The Festival in 2008, Tidal Bay slammed subsequent Grade One Ladbrokes World Hurdle runner-up Time For Rupert when powering to a five-length success in the 2010 Cleeve Hurdle over three miles. He was third in the 2009 Argento Chase won by Joe Lively.

Johnson revealed this morning: “All being well, Tidal Bay definitely goes to Cheltenham at the end of the month for the race that Grey Abbey won, the Argento Chase.

“We were pleased with his second at Haydock last time but this is a different course and a different day - Imperial Commander is a very good horse. I wish I had 20 horses like Tidal Bay - horses that had won an Arkle and had won a Cleeve Hurdle - he’s the kind of horse you dream about having.

“The horse is fine and we will see how he is after the Argento before making our minds up about whether we go to The Festival with him.”

Festival Trials Day kicks off at 12.55pm with the £22,500 Grade Two JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial over two miles and a furlong and continues with the £20,000 Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase (1.30pm) over two miles, five furlongs.

The Sawyer has won the last two renewals of the £40,000 Grade Three Murphy Group Chase (2.05pm), also over two miles, five furlongs, while last season’s running of the £25,000 Grade Two Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (3.10pm) over an extended two and a half miles proved to be well up to its usual high standard as Restless Harry saw off subsequent Grade Two winner General Miller to land the spoils.

The £40,000 Grade Two Cleeve Hurdle (3.40pm) is always an eagerly anticipated contest and provides the ideal stepping-stone to the Ladbrokes World Hurdle over the course and distance at The Festival. The outstanding champion Big Buck’s took the race in 2009 en route to Ladbrokes World Hurdle glory that year (he also won the 2010 Ladbrokes World Hurdle). The great triple Ladbrokes World Hurdle winner Inglis Drever, trained by Johnson, triumphed in the 2008 Cleeve Hurdle.

The concluding race on Festival Trials Day is the £15,000 Stellar Football ‘End of Transfer Window’ Handicap Hurdle (4.15pm) over two miles and furlong.

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