Anthony Honeyball could hardly be in better form at the moment but hopes the weather doesn't spoil things for some of his stronger contenders at Cheltenham's November meeting.
The Dorset trainer has been operating around a 30% strike-rate in the past fortnight alone and was recently celebrating a second career success in the valuable Badger Beers Handicap Chase at Wincanton thanks to the plucky Gustavian, and Honeyball also struck gold at Cheltenham's opening Showcase fixture last month.
His winner at Prestbury Park on that occasion was eight-year-old chestnut Leave Of Absence who showed a fine attitude under Rex Dingle to beat Gordon Elliott's Pied Piper by two and a half lengths.
He's back for more on day one of the November meeting, this time forced to carry a penalty in the Listed Sun's 'Save Our Bets' Novices' Chase over three miles and one furlong.
Honeyball said of last season's Reynoldstown runner-up: "He's got a good chance, I think he'll cope with the ground if it's soft and he seems to stay well.
"I'm not saying he'll definitely go off favourite but in my mind he's got a favourite's chance. He's run around Cheltenham - albeit there were a few fences taken out - but he's run and jumped around there so he's got that run as a novice which will stand him in good stead for the race, whereas a few of them might have a bit of a shock and it could take them out of their comfort zone.
"He's always had a bit of quality, it's just I don't know if soft or heavy ground is going to be OK - it could be the best thing ever for him, or maybe not, I honestly don't know. I would be more siding with the idea that it's not going to be a problem.
Lord Baddesley, sporting the same Richard and Mrs Carol Cheshire silks as Leave Of Absence, lines up in the Unibet Middle Distance Veterans' Series Handicap Chase just eight days on from his 18-length Newbury win in a three-runner affair on good going.
Honeyball doesn't doubt the horse's talent but does fear conditions might not be ideal on this occasion.
He said: "I'd be more on the side of soft/heavy ground being a problem for him.
"He was very good at Newbury, in a race that obviously did cut up quite a bit. It was nice to see him win and have a nice easy race. He got a little nick on a hind leg which meant he couldn't go to Wincanton but it hasn't come to anything and he's fine so he'll go to Cheltenham.
"He's an interesting horse. He's one we were really revved up about last season, thinking we'd win a nice race as he'd done well for Chris Gordon and has loads of ability. He'd come down a few pounds in the weights and hadn't really had a go with a tongue-tie on so we were disappointed really. He had few little health issues through the season but did have a good run at Newbury and it never really happened after that, we couldn't get him back into form.
"This season, there was a feeling about him as we'd tweaked a few things in his training and gave him a breathing operation. The race did cut up but had a nice race. I just don't know how much good ground is important to him. I don't think he minds a bit of cut but the thing with Cheltenham is that is sounds like it'll be Armageddon there on Friday.
"Either side of that it doesn't look bad but it's just the very day we're going to run four horses at Cheltenham, it's going to absolutely bucket down. I'm not even going to put a suit on!"
Brookie, third to Calico at the Showcase three weeks ago, faces a stiff task against Jonbon and L'eau Du Sud in the Shloer Chase and is another for whom the wet forecast was not welcome.
Honeyball said of the Abigail Rugg-owned eight-year-old: "I actually think on his handicap chase run at Cheltenham last month he could go to Ascot next week and have a right chance in the handicap there but running in those big-field handicaps can be quite tough and if we can run in a Shloer Chase with six others then we should.
"I think he'll 100% go on the ground but I do wonder if it might find him out. Equally, if they're perhaps going a gear slower then he's got a little bit of speed and maybe it can help him.
"We're trying to float horses like him in those sort of races, his handicap mark is quite steep now. We had a go last year in novice company and he quietly went round and picked up some decent prize money, it built momentum and by the end of the season he was coping quite well in Grade 2 and Grade 1s.
"Jonbon is head-and-shoulders above but we can give it a go and hopefully pick up some prize money. The handicaps will be there for us another day if needed.
Fountains Blenhein in the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle rounds out the day-one team for Honeyball who could also be represented in Saturday's Listed Mares' Open National Hunt Flat Race with Queen's Theatre.
However, it could be Sunday's Bottlegreen Novices' Limited Handicap Chase which gives the yard their best chance of the weekend, Jordans Cross currently entered along with Kdeux Saint Fray and Dartmoor Pirate.
Of Jordans Cross, Honeyball said: "He's shaping very well. He jumped exceptionally well at Aintree, I thought he was superb. He was bold and clever and I think he's got a very level way of landing so that'll help going to Cheltenham with the undulations and downhill fences.
"The extra half mile will suit him I think and he'll have a very strong chance.
"Kdeux Saint Fray was quite well backed for that race last month and I don't quite know where that came from as we had Crest Of Fortune in it with the higher reputation of the two and he drifted in the betting. But when I watched it back, Kdeux Saint Fray came to the last ditch and he was absolutely pootling along no problem at all, he nearly got brought down there and then Johnny (Burke) thought he'd just pop him home as the horse had recovered quite well, but he just walked into the next fence and took a nasty fall.
"He's been fine since and will school again tomorrow. His jumping was quite solid before the fall but it was a tricky one and where else should we go with him? So we've put him in again.
"We've Dartmoor Pirate entered too but we've other options too and I'll make some entries elsewhere. He might do well for us back over hurdles this season.
"Sam Brown has no chance mathematically in the stayers' handicap chase there on Sunday but he'll end up in the Veterans' Final again. I'm actually quite hopeful of a decent run out of him... I want to come down five or six pounds but I want him to run well too. I ride him every day and he feels like a good horse which he is."
Looking a little further ahead, the aforementioned Cheltenham runner-up Crest Of Fortune is bound for Newbury at the end of the month before a potentially lofty target at Kempton over Christmas.
"I really rate him," confirmed the trainer. "He's a good horse and has so much talent. I think we'll go for the John Francombe with him after the run in second off top weight at Cheltenham last month. He's only a five-year-old and he's decent, he'll go there and his two-race plan is to go to Newbury and if he jumps well and does reasonably well in that race, he'll go to the Grade 1 Kauto Star. I'm punchy with him and think he's that calibre."
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