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Gollings Hopes Local Hero Can Triumph at Cheltenham
26/01/11

Lincolnshire trainer Steve Gollings is hoping that unbeaten juvenile hurdler Local Hero will book his ticket to The Festival in March with a bold show in the £22,500 Grade Two JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial (12.55pm) on Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham on Saturday, January 29.

Local Hero
© Grossick Racing Photography

Local Hero

Gollings revealed: “The plan is for Local Hero to go to Cheltenham on Saturday for the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial. He’s still very green but he’s progressing really well. His two races have been won extremely easily and, although we know he has a real engine, we just need to know how good that engine is. I think Saturday’s race should give us all the answers we need - it’s a bit of an acid test for us.”

Local Hero, an exciting Lomitas full-brother to German and Italian St Leger winner Liquido, was lightly-raced on the Flat, breaking his maiden at the third attempt at Catterick on November 2. The four-year-old has since won both his starts over hurdles with ease, each time under champion jockey AP McCoy.

The four-year-old cruised to success by six lengths at Wetherby on November 24 and then slammed one-time ante-post JCB Triumph Hurdle favourite Franklino at Doncaster on January 12, leaving Gollings to dream of a second Festival success to go alongside the victory of In Truth in the 1998 Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup.

Gollings continued: “Local Hero won his maiden on the Flat at Catterick under Darryll Holland and for a Catterick maiden it wasn’t a bad race - there were five or six big Newmarket yards with runners and one or two were touted, but he won very easily. His first run over hurdles was at Wetherby and AP was quite impressed with him, although Local Hero probably didn’t beat a lot. He rode him again on his next start at Doncaster and, apart from Franklino, you would have to say the horse didn’t beat a lot that day either.

“But he has progressed from race to race and I am 100 per cent sure that we have not seen the best of Local Hero, by far. He can only win his races, and we can’t criticise him because he has won his races very easily - Saturday will tell us an awful lot.

“He’s in great form, he will school again tomorrow, AP rides him and it’s a case of fingers crossed. I’m hoping we can make a decision after Saturday as to whether or not we have a live chance for the JCB Triumph Hurdle or, if not, we would probably run in the Fred Winter.

“If I have a concern about a race like the JCB Triumph Hurdle it’s that while he’s big enough, he’s not one of those muscular horses, he’s quite a light-framed horse. He ran once as a two-year-old but he just needed a bit of time. He’s not a big robust horse, he’s a lean, staying type.”

A fantastic renewal of the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial could also feature the current JCB Triumph Hurdle favourite Grandouet, who was beaten 15 lengths by the once-raced Maoi Chinn Tire when the latter scored at odds of 200/1 for trainer Jennie Candlish at Wetherby back in October but has won his last two races easily.

The £90,000 Grade Two Argento Chase (2.30pm) is the feature event of a fantastic seven-race card on Festival Trials Day. The prestigious contest, staged over just short of three and a quarter miles is a key pointer to the Grade One totesport Gold Cup at The Festival in March.

Likely runners this year include Tidal Bay, a fast-finishing second to Imperial Commander in the Grade One Betfair Chase at Haydock in November, and the exciting seven-year-old Time For Rupert. The pair were first and second respectively in last season’s Cleeve Hurdle. Paddy Power Gold Cup hero Little Josh is another possible starter.

Last season’s running of the Grade Two Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (3.05pm) 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.

This time, Restless Harry is primed for the £40,000 Grade Two Cleeve Hurdle (3.35pm), which could also feature the improving Grands Crus. The race 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 Howard Johnson, triumphed in the 2008 Cleeve Hurdle.

Also on the card are the £40,000 Grade Three Murphy Group Chase (2.00pm) over two miles, five furlongs, and the £20,000 Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase (1.30pm) over two miles, five furlongs, while the concluding race on Festival Trials Day is the £15,000 Stellar Football ‘End of Transfer Window’ Handicap Hurdle (4.10pm) over two miles and furlong.

 

LATEST GOING NEWS

The going at Cheltenham remains good to soft.

Simon Claisse, Cheltenham’s Clerk of the Course and Director of Racing, commented: “The going remains good to soft on the chase and hurdle courses ahead of Festival Trials Day. The forecast is for colder temperatures later in the week with a frost due overnight on Thursday. We will be covering both courses on Wednesday as a precaution.”

 

MURPHY GROUP CONFIRMED AS SPONSOR OF HISTORIC RACE ON FESTIVAL TRIALS DAY

Cheltenham Racecourse confirmed today that the Murphy Group, a leading civil engineering and building business, is to sponsor The Murphy Group Chase on Festival Trials Day, Saturday, January 29. The race, televised on Channel 4 at 2.00pm, is one of the highlights of a highly competitive and informative seven-race card, on what is the last day of racing at Cheltenham before The Festival in March.

Over the past 20 years, The Murphy Group Chase has been won by some of the most popular and talented horses in training. The list of previous winners includes Festival hero Waterloo Boy, Hennessy Gold Cup victor Couldnt Be Better, Dublin Flyer, Grand National winner Papillon and Lady Cricket. The last two runnings have been won by The Sawyer, trained by Bob Buckler, and the popular front-running chaser may well bid for a third consecutive victory this year.

Peter McNeile, Cheltenham’s Director of Sponsorship, said: “We’re delighted that the Murphy Group is to become the sponsor of such an historic race, which always produces a top class, competitive field. Festival Trials Day is arguably the best one-day fixture in the Jump racing calendar, which will give their brand some excellent exposure and their guests a great day out at the home of Jump racing.”

John Stack, Managing Director of the Murphy Group, added: “Like the Murphy Group, Cheltenham Racecourse is a leader in its field, so there is no more appropriate place for us to be sponsoring a race. Everyone in the company is looking forward to the first running of The Murphy Group Steeple Chase on January 29 and to a long and fruitful relationship with the team at Cheltenham.”

The Murphy Group is one of the United Kingdom and Ireland’s best known names in the civil engineering and building industry. Since it was established in 1951, the Group operating company J. Murphy & Sons Limited has grown to become a major force in civil and mechanical engineering, delivering world-class projects in the process, energy, pipelines, tunnelling, telecommunications, commercial, rail, residential building and property development sectors.

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