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Rewards4Racing Cleeve Hurdle |
Fair Along in Good Form Ahead of Rewards4Racing Cleeve Hurdle
28/01/11
The evergreen Fair Along heads to Cheltenham tomorrow, Festival Trials Day, to contest the £40,000 Grade Two Rewards4Racing Cleeve Hurdle (3.35pm) and trainer Philip Hobbs is keeping an eye on how the nine-year-old performs before deciding on his target at The Festival in 2011.
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Remarkably, the four-time Cheltenham winner has competed at The Festival for the previous five seasons and last time out on October 30 won the Grade Two John Smith’s Hurdle at Wetherby for the second year in succession.
Hobbs commented today: “Fair Along heads to Cheltenham in good form. He hasn’t run since winning at Wetherby because there haven’t been any races for him. We were going to run him in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot but that was moved and there were no other alternatives for him.
“We will see how he gets on tomorrow before thinking about going for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle with him once more. It’s pretty amazing to think that he could be making a sixth consecutive appearance at The Festival.
“I suppose his best race at Cheltenham was when he was second in the 2006 JCB Triumph Hurdle and he was unlucky to run into another of our horses, Detroit City.
“He was also second the following season in The Irish Independent Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase, when there were two or three fallers at the fence coming down the hill, which left him in second place. He came third in the 2008 sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase, but he was never going to get into the race behind Master Minded that day.”
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Grand Crus, trained by David Pipe, has emerged as an exciting contender in the staying hurdlers’ division after wins in valuable handicap hurdles at The Open and at Haydock in November, while Alan King will be represented by Bensalem, who will be making his first appearance since chasing home Quevega in the Grade One ladbrokes.com World Series Hurdle at Punchestown in April. Restless Harry is the star of Robin Dickin’s yard and he will be attempting to win on Festival Trials Day for the second year in succession following his victory in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle on this day 12 months ago.
The richest race of the day is the Grade Two £90,000 Argento Chase (2.30pm), run over three miles and a furlong and a leading trial for the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup at The Festival. A field of five is set to go to post, with champion trainer Paul Nicholls supplying two of the runners in the shape of the 2008 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup third Neptune Collonges and The Tother One, who was last seen out when taking fourth in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November. Nicky Henderson will be represented by Punchestowns, the 2009 Ladbrokes World Hurdle runner-up, while Howard Johnson will saddle Tidal Bay, successful on this day last year in the Cleeve Hurdle and runner-up to Imperial Commander in the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park in November. Completing the field is the David Pipe-trained Madison Du Berlais, successful in the 2008 Hennessy Gold Cup and a dual Grade Two winner.
Festival Trials Day gets underway at 12.55pm with the £22,500 Grade Two JCB Triumph Hurdle, in which seven runners are set to go post. These include Maoi Chinn Tire, Local Hero and Third Intention - all go into the race unbeaten - while Indian Daudaie is set to make his British debut for Paul Nicholls, having last been seen out when second in a Grade One contest for three-year-olds at Auteuil, France, in November.
Nine horses line up in the £20,000 Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase (1.30pm) including the Nicky Henderson-trained Shakalakaboomboom, who is seeking a hattrick following successes at Kempton and Taunton on his last two starts. Heading the weights on 11st 12lb is the David Bridgwater-trained The Giant Bolster who after winning on his jumping debut at Worcester in October was travelling well when falling in a novices’ chase at The Open won by Time For Rupert, the current favourite for the RSA Chase. Pearlysteps, Misstree Dancer and Diamond Brook all come into the race on the back of a win last time out.
This season’s Paddy Power Gold Cup winner Little Josh is one of 11 runners in the £40,000 Grade Three Murphy Group Chase (2.00pm) over two miles and five furlongs, a race in which The Sawyer will attempt a third consecutive triumph.
The £25,000 Grade Two Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (3.05pm) takes place over an extended two and a half miles and has attracted a starting line-up of 11, including the unbeaten Backspin from the Jonjo O’Neill stable who landed the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury on December 29, as well as Champion Court who was last seen out when taking the Grade Two Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle at The Open in November. Nicholls runs the exciting Rock On Ruby who also won at The Open when taking the Listed Cleanevent Open Bumper before making a winning debut over hurdles at Newbury last month.
Competitive handicap action brings Festival Trials Day to a close with 16 runners declared for the Stellar Football “End of Transfer Window” Handicap Hurdle (4.10pm).
GOING
The going at Cheltenham is currently:
GOOD TO SOFT, SOFT IN PLACES
Simon Claisse, Cheltenham’s Clerk of the Course, reported today: “We had a dry night last night with the temperature getting down to minus one degree Celsius. Both the chase and hurdle courses were covered on Wednesday. “The temperature is forecast to reach a high of three degrees today and we are anticipating a low of minus four or minus five tonight.”
