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Kennon Provides Candlish with Biggest Win To Date
21/02/11
The thoroughly likeable staying hurdler Cross Kennon provided Staffordshire-based trainer Jenny Candlish with the biggest winner of her career when causing something of a surprise in winning the Grade 2 Totescoop6 Hurdle, the race better known as the Rendlesham Hurdle, at Haydock on Saturday, writes Elliot Slater.
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Three miles in very testing ground proved too much for many of the runners but not for Candlish's progressive seven-year-old who not for the first time showed just how well he can handle deep ground and looks to be in decent form ahead of the Cheltenham Festival. Ridden by Candlish's partner Alan O'Keefe, Cross Kennon was never far from the lead and took up the running at halfway. Headed by the strongly fancied Bensalem after four out, Cross Kennon came again to take the lead at the second last as Alan King's 7/4 favourite made an error and went from travelling strongly to floundering in a matter of strides. O'Keefe galvanised his mount who soon had matters under control and cruised away after the last to win by six lengths (and was probably value for a few more).
The winner of a listed handicap hurdle at Cheltenham earlier this term, Cross Kennon has always promised to develop into a decent sort but certainly had plenty to do on official figures. There was no fluke however about this win and bookmakers reacted by cutting him from 25/1 to a best priced 14/1 for the Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, while his odds for the World hurdle were also trimmed from 150/1 to 50/1. Many people will no doubt be keeping an eye on the Cheltenham Gold Cup odds, but both of these races should prove to be interesting alternatives.
Bensalem was left generally unchanged at 33/1 for the World Hurdle after his handler commented that he felt his charge had blown up between the final two flights and had probably still been in need of the outing having had only one previous race this season.
