Tweet

racing news /

The Sawyer Set for Festival Trials Day Hat-trick Attempt
21/01/11

The Sawyer is poised to bid for a remarkable hat-trick of victories in the £40,000 Grade Three Murphy Group Chase (2.00pm) on Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham - Saturday, January 29 - having captured the competitive handicap in each of the past two seasons.

The Sawyer
© Grossick Racing Photography

Bob Buckler’s charge relished the heavy going to defeat Akilak in the 2009 running of the two-mile, five-furlong contest, and last year made all under Nathan Sweeney for a game three quarter-length verdict over Private Be.

That latter triumph came only seven days after The Sawyer and Sweeney had clinched a similar success in the victorchandler.com Handicap Chase and the strapping Belgian-bred 11-year-old is set to once again take in the Ascot contest on Saturday ahead of his hat-trick attempt.

After making a promising seasonal bow when fifth behind Tchico Polos over an inadequate trip in the Grade Two Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on November 2, The Sawyer disappointed in his only subsequent race when 13th in the BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham’s The Open 11 days later.

Buckler revealed today: “I think we’ll be taking him to Cheltenham again for the Murphy Group Chase after Ascot on Saturday, and we are hoping the ground will be soft enough for him.

“Something was wrong in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, I’m not quite sure what but he never got into the race. It could be that he had a harder race at Exeter than I thought he had - he ran a brilliant race over just short of two and a quarter miles that day and he may have taken more out of himself than I realised.

“He has come back right again and he is showing his usual sparkle - unfortunately, the handicapper hasn’t helped him. Hopefully, we will be there again for the Murphy Group Chase if all goes well at Ascot this weekend.”

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.

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.

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.

The £40,000 Grade Two Cleeve Hurdle (3.35pm) 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 (4.10pm) over two miles and furlong.