2012 result

racing news/

Doncaster Meeting Called Off
24/01/13

Racing's programme continues to be hit by the bad weather with Saturday's Doncaster meeting called off. The card was due to feature the Skybet Chase and rearranged Stanjames.com Champion Hurdle Trial, which moved after Haydock was off a week earlier.

Sky Bet Chase is Ikorodu Road Target
21/01/13

Calgary Bay, a comfortable winner of last season’s Listed Sky Bet Chase, jointly heads the weights on 11st 12lb for this year’s renewal along with Grade Two winner Midnight Chase and improving seven-year-old Bold Sir Brian.

Ikorodu Road
© Racehorse Photos

The weights for the £75,000 contest, which takes place over three miles at Doncaster on Saturday, January 26, have been revealed.

In-form trainer Venetia Williams has three possible runners among the 37 remaining entries including progressive French import Katenko and Summery Justice .

Matt Sheppard is hoping stable star Ikorodu Road can land another valuable prize. The lightly-raced 10-year-old showed a tremendous attitude when winning the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster in March last year and a competitive handicap chase at Newbury later the same month, but disappointed when pulled up in the Scottish Grand National.

He was last seen finishing fifth in a hotly-contested handicap chase at Doncaster in December won by Emma Lavelle’s Court By Surprise, who is likely to reoppose.

Sheppard said: “There is a good chance Ikorodu Road will run in the Sky Bet Chase. He will also have an entry in a veterans’ chase at Exeter just before but he needs good or good to soft ground and I can’t see it being like that at Exeter.

“Ideally, he wants a couple of furlongs further than three miles but he has been in excellent form since his run at Doncaster. We have been praying for some better ground and hoped to run him in the Classic Chase at Warwick (last Saturday) but the ground was too soft.

“He definitely has another big race in him. He wants three and a half miles but we haven’t been able to put it all together and, longer term, I would imagine he will go for the Grimthorpe again.

“When he broke the track record at Newbury last season, the ground must have been quite quick and when he went to Ayr he must have been jarred up but you don’t know that until you run them - we could look at the Scottish Grand National again.”

Cape Tribulation
© Racehorse Photos

Cape Tribulation, trained by Malcolm Jefferson, has been allotted 11st 8lb after getting his chasing career back on track with an eye-catching 11-length success in the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase at Wetherby over Christmas, while impressive last time out scorer Mister Hyde has been handed 10st 10lb.

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls is responsible for Harry The Viking, last seen finishing a disappointing 9th behind Bobs Worth in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on December 1.

BetVictor Gold Cup runner-up Walkon is the sole representative for trainer Alan King, having filled the same position behind Unioniste in the Paul Stewart IronSpine Charity Challenge Gold Cup back at Cheltenham in December.

Other notable contenders include last year’s third Fruity O’Rooney, Carruthers and Donald McCain's Grand National winner Ballabriggs.

Sky Bet Chase (Listed Handicap)
£75,000 added, 5yo plus, 3m, Class 1
37 entries