Chester Williams is keen to step Indannya up in class for a tilt at the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
The Grade Two contest at Sandown on February 6 has been put forward as a potential target for the five-year-old who bettered her debut third at Wincanton with victory at Warwick on New Year’s Eve.
While that race also doubled up as qualifier for the Grade Two BetVictor British EBF “National Hunt Mares’ Novices Hurdle final at Newbury in March, Williams admits he would like to test Indannya's credentials at a higher level before a potential trip to the Berkshire venue.
Williams said: “She has always had ability and I’m pleasantly pleased to see she has reached a good level as a five-year-old over hurdles.
“I was worried turning in at Warwick as I was thinking had Lorcan (Williams )kept a bit up his sleeve and could she quicken, but thankfully she did and her jumping under pressure was excellent.
“The race at Newbury is in the back of my mind, but I’m not going to base my whole going forward around that as the ground could be too quick and she won’t run on that.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing her in the Jane Seymour as she does stay. That could be a nice target. She needs to step up, but if you don’t try you don’t know.
“She is a long term project. She has got size and you can see she will be a chaser, both her siblings are winning chasers around Auteuil. Everything she does over hurdles will be a bonus as chasing is her future.”
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As for stablemate Tenter Le Tout she will bid to follow up her Grade Two success in the Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow at the same level at Cheltenham later this month in the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle.
Williams said: “She has won two juvenile races on the bridle. She was excellent at Chepstow. She is quite a precious sort and her jumping will stand her in good stead in those better races.
"She doesn’t need to be wrapped in cotton wool as she is thriving off racing. Going to Cheltenham at the end of the month for the Grade Two would make a lot of sense. That will tell us where we go going forward. Chepstow was going to tell us if we were going to go back down in grade or remain where we are.
“A penalty will make things tricky, and we don’t know who will turn up, but we have got to keep going for these good races."
Looking beyond the daughter of No Risk At All’s next start Williams admits she could be sent on her travels later in the campaign.
Williams said: “She doesn’t have to go to Cheltenham in March as there are plenty of other good races and she would suit racing in France, but we will take it each race as it goes.
“Cheltenham at the end of the month makes sense as it is a race that we have won as a family a couple of times.
“At the moment we have a horse that can match with the best of the English, and hopefully the Irish if we go to Cheltenham in March.”
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