Nick Kent on verge of breakthrough with Erne River
Nick Kent will saddle his first Grade One runner when unbeaten chaser Erne River takes his chance in the SSS Super Alloys Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree on Thursday.
The gelding has run twice over fences and was victorious on both occasions, taking a competitive Doncaster novice by six lengths in January and then going on to score again when a 13-length winner at Wetherby the following month.
The Wetherby outing took place on soft ground that later deteriorated into heavy – conditions Kent felt did not suit his seven-year-old and thus made his decisive win all the more impressive.
“We’re excited, of course, it’s our first Grade One runner,” said the Lincolnshire-based trainer.
“All I can say is he’s really well, he came out of Wetherby really well. We felt he deserved a chance in a race like this, showing what he’d shown already, so we’ll give it a go and see if he’s up to it.
“He ran really well at Doncaster, it’s a flat galloping track again at Aintree. The ground was against him at Wetherby, I felt, he doesn’t feel the best on softer ground and the better ground seemed to suit him, but then again you couldn’t argue with how he ran at Wetherby.
“He galloped to the line. Charlie (Hammond, jockey) was really happy with him and said every time he gave him a squeeze he kept finding (more).”
The form of the Doncaster race was boosted at Ayr last week when Dan Skelton’s Beakstown, beaten six lengths by Erne River, went on to score in the Listed Hillhouse Quarry Handicap Chase.
“The form’s looking good, it’s a big ask going into a Grade One but let’s see,” said Kent.
“He’s improved so quickly, he seems to have progressed very quickly. He did have three runs in point to points in Ireland, I know it’s not the same but it’s still experience over fences.
“He’s got his own way of jumping, he can get a bit low at the odd one but he’s quite an intelligent horse, he’s quite clever. We’ll just have to hope it all holds together on the day – it’s exciting, nerve-wracking, but exciting.”
Colin Tizzard will be represented by The Widdow Maker and War Lord, the latter of whom was a creditable fourth behind Edwardstone in the Arkle at Cheltenham.
A 50/1 chance at the Festival, the performance was a significant step forward for the grey and assistant trainer Joe Tizzard is hoping a return to a two-and-a-half-mile trip will see him at his best.
“It was cracking run in the Arkle and he just got a bit outpaced at a crucial time and stayed on again really strongly,” he said.
“It has always been the plan to step him back up to two and a half at Aintree. He won’t mind the ground. It looks like a lovely race for him to be honest and hopefully he will be very competitive in it. On the ratings he has a tiny bit to find, but not a great deal. He’s not far away and that two and a half at Aintree will be right up his street.”
Millers Bank is another of the seven-strong field and arrives on Merseyside after finishing second to Pic D’orhy in the Pendil Novices’ Chase at Kempton in February. The bay produced an assured round of jumping in the race, putting behind him two prior runs where he made errors when travelling competitively and unseated his jockey.
“He’s very well, he’s come out of Kempton in good shape and this has always been part of the plan,” said Hales.
“He’s obviously got to improve again and it will be a competitive race, but we’re really looking forward to running him."
Millers Bank was an 11-length winner on his chasing debut at Huntingdon but jumped a little too carefully on occasion during his following two runs and seemed to stutter upon landing and thus unbalance his rider.
“His first run at Huntingdon was absolutely brilliant, at Newbury he just took a little time to warm up to it, he was a bit novicey and I think he was the same at Cheltenham really. He just didn’t quite get his landing gear out quick enough,” said Hales.
“He did jump well at Kempton, that was the main thing, it was nice to get a clear run with him and hopefully he can build on that. It’s very exciting and it’s just great to have a runner in a Grade One."
Pic D’orhy will cross paths again with Millers Bank, as Paul Nicholls’ seven-year-old searches for a first Grade One success.
“I’ve had this race in mind all season for Pic D’orhy who is best on a flat track like Aintree on nice ground,” the Ditcheat trainer told Betfair.
“We were never going to Cheltenham with him and probably shouldn’t have taken him to Sandown. He is exciting and looked smart when winning last time at Kempton which was his best performance over fences. He has won two Grade Two chases and it would be nice to win a Grade One.”
The Irish have a sole runner through the Henry de Bromhead-trained Gin On Lime – last seen snatching victory from the jaws of defeat when scrambling to her feet and claiming a Cheltenham novice match race from My Drogo in November.
Pied Piper expected to call the tune at Aintree
Aintree’s flat contours are expected to bring out the best in Pied Piper in Thursday’s Jewson Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle.
A multiple winner on the Flat in the colours of the Queen, the son of New Approach was bought out of John and Thady Gosden’s yard for 225,000 guineas to pursue a jumping career with Gordon Elliott.
He made a smart beginning when beating Vauban at Punchestown and a subsequent demolition job on Cheltenham Trials Day meant he lined up as one of two leading contenders for owners Andrew and Gemma Brown in last month’s Triumph Hurdle, along with stablemate Fil Dor.
There was only a neck between the pair at the Festival, with Fil Dor second and Pied Piper third behind Vauban, and connections believe Pied Piper could be seen in an even better light on Merseyside.
Joey Logan, racing manager for the owners, said: “We think the ground is going to suit him and the track is going to suit him – I think we’ll see the best of Pied Piper on Thursday.
“He’s in good form – he came out of Cheltenham very well. Davy (Russell) is going to ride him and we’d be expecting him to run a big race. This was the target more than the Triumph Hurdle because of the track, but we had to run both horses in the Triumph.
“Fil Dor is a big chaser in the making and will go to Punchestown. Hopefully Pied Piper might go for one of the big staying Flat races at Royal Ascot or somewhere after Thursday.”
The biggest danger to Pied Piper appears to be Brazil, who provided trainer Padraig Roche with a first Cheltenham success in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.
Roche is looking forward to testing the JP McManus-owned gelding at Grade One level for the first time.
Roche said: “He seems healthy and well and he gave us an unbelievable day in Cheltenham, in fairness. We’re looking forward to running him again. He came out of Cheltenham great and in good form and the ground should be lovely.”
Petit Tonnerre is a second interesting runner for McManus, having added to his two wins in France when making a successful debut for Jonjo O’Neill at Market Rasen in February.
The Venetia Williams-trained Fautinette, the only filly in the field, won each of her three starts across the Channel and is thrown in at the deep end on first start in Britain.
“She is a gorgeous little mare,” said co-owner Andy Edwards.
“She is not a novice, and fillies’ handicaps are slightly few and far between at this time of year. We thought about a fillies’ juvenile handicap at Cheltenham, on April 14, but she is working so nicely.
“She is a very good filly and deserves to take her chance in this. First time out in a Grade One is a very big ask, no question. But we are really looking forward to seeing her run. Her fitness levels are unknown, but the track is ideal and the ground is ideal."
Knight Salute won his first five races over hurdles for Milton Harris but could finish only ninth in the Triumph Hurdle three weeks ago, with his trainer blaming underfoot conditions.
“That was down to the ground. Paddy (Brennan) looked after him and at home he seems right as rain,” said Harris.
“We took the hood off and he had been running with earplugs in and we have chucked those out. I think I would expect to see a different horse, the old horse back firing. It is a competitive race but he is 14/1 and that is a crazy price, just crazy."
Gary Moore’s dual winner In The Air, the Dan Skelton-trained Too Friendly, Nicky Henderson’s Impulsive One and Inca Prince from Ruth Jefferson’s yard complete the field.
Skelton taking nothing for granted with Protektorat
Protektorat finished the best of the British when third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and trainer Dan Skelton feels he sets a standard that others must surpass in the Betway Bowl.
The rising chasing star, who is part-owned by Sir Alex Ferguson, romped home 25 lengths clear of Native River in the Many Clouds Chase when stepped up in trip on his previous visit to Liverpool this season in December.
The seven-year-old underlined his class when chasing home Henry de Bromhead’s pair of A Plus Tard and Minella Indo three weeks ago in a muddling Gold Cup, which turned into something of a sprint.
Skelton feels he is capable of taking a second Grade One of his career, following his victory under regular partner and the trainer’s brother, Harry, in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase on this day last year.
Skelton said: “It was great run in the Gold Cup. We are very proud of him. There are only four Grade Ones over three miles in the UK, so you have to to try and go if you can.
“I’m happy with him. He’s healthy, he’s fit and he’s sound. He’s come out of Cheltenham well. Cheltenham is only just behind him, but that is what it is, you can’t change the dates.
“But it is a decent race and no-one has shirked it. We will just have to go and give it our best shot. He is two from two at Aintree and his most recent run is a standard-setter for recent form, but it is a hot race – there is no point pretending it is not. It is a good race.”
Last year’s winner Clan Des Obeaux also counts Ferguson among his owners and will come into the race fresh, having bypassed Cheltenham.
The 10-year-old was second-best in his bid to land a hat-trick of King Georges at Kempton on Boxing Day, and Paul Nicholls equips him with blinkers for the first time following his third-placed finish in the Denman Chase at Newbury.
Nicholls told Betfair: “Clan hasn’t been at his best yet this season, but still ran well in the King George. I was then a little disappointed with him at Newbury when our horses were a bit out of form.
“He is not getting any younger, but he’s bouncing at the moment and looks great in his coat. We worked him in blinkers on Saturday to sharpen him up and he will wear them in a race for the first time on Thursday. I’m hopeful of another big run back at a track we know he likes.”
Clan Des Obeaux will again take on the Venetia Williams-trained Royale Pagaille, who was runner-up at Newbury in February, and Eldorado Allen, who subsequently followed up victory there with a fair third in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham.
Joe Tizzard, who takes over the training licence from his father, Colin, at the end of the month, feels the eight-year-old Eldorado Allen has a bit to find, but is worthy of his chance.
Tizzard said: “It was a good, strong run in the Ryanair. We knew what we were taking on in Allaho, so we were really chuffed with him. A flat three miles at Aintree, similar to Newbury, would suit him. Obviously Protektorat ran a blinder in the Gold Cup and he is the one to beat, but we have beaten Royale Pagaille and Clan Des Obeaux at Newbury.
“He seems to have come out of Cheltenham really well, so we are hoping he can run another big race. You have to take them on and have a go. He deserves to be in it and he is not a back number in it, either."
Irish Gold Cup winner Conflated may have had no chance with Allaho in the Ryanair, but he was going well and disputing second when falling two out. One of two Irish challengers, trainer Gordon Elliott feels he holds every chance of gaining a third win of the season.
He said: “He is in good form and was running a good race in the Ryanair when he fell at the second-last. He seems to have come out of the race well and we are looking forward to running him.
“It is a competitive race, but it is a Grade One and you don’t expect anything different.”
Willie Mullins, who won a phenomenal 10 of the 28 races at Cheltenham, is represented by Kemboy, who dominated Clan Des Obeaux and the rest of his rivals in this race three years ago.
He proved he is no back number when narrowly beaten by A Plus Tard and Galvin in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, but was only fifth when bidding for back-to-back Irish Gold Cup wins.
Patrick Mullins, assistant to his father, said: “He was a bit disappointing (in the Irish Gold Cup), but it was probably very heavily watered ground, which wouldn’t be ideal for him.
“He’s been running really well at Leopardstown when the ground was probably a bit quicker than it should have been really and his run at Christmas would look as good as anything, wouldn’t it?
“I think the ground will be better that what they were running on at the Dublin Racing Festival, which will suit, and he’s in good form and has won around Aintree before, so he has to have his chance.
“If he can come back to his Christmas form, he’d have to be bang in the mix, but it is a deep race.”
Epatante and Zanahiyr lock horns in Aintree Hurdle
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After playing second and third fiddle respectively to the brilliant Honeysuckle at Cheltenham last month, Epatante and Zanahiyr look set to battle it out for top honours in Betway Aintree Hurdle.
Ultimately neither could lay a glove on Henry de Bromhead’s superstar mare in the Champion Hurdle just over three weeks ago, but they justifiably dispute favouritism for Thursday’s joint feature.
Having won and finished third and second in the last three renewals of Cheltenham’s two-mile hurdling championship, Epatante tests the water over two and a half miles for the first time on Merseyside.
Like everyone else, trainer Nicky Henderson is somewhat in the dark over the trip for his dual Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdle heroine, but is hopeful.
He told Sky Sports Racing: “She’s had a tremendous year, but the one question here is the trip. It’s her first run over it and we’re going to have to take that on trust.
“She’s done nothing wrong, she halved the Fighting Fifth (dead-heated with Not So Sleepy) and then won the Christmas Hurdle where she was very impressive. She ran a great race in the Champion Hurdle, the mistake at the last didn’t cost her in the end as she finished second and wouldn’t have won.
“She’s in very good form and I’m thinking and hoping – if she stays, she wants to go to sleep and wait and wait and wait. I asked Nico (de Boinville) after the Christmas Hurdle if she’d stay two and a half as I was half thinking of the Mares’ Hurdle for her, but he said ‘no’.
“On the other hand two and a half at Aintree is different to two and a half around Cheltenham, as it doesn’t put an enormous premium on stamina.”
Gordon Elliott believes the extra distance could help Zanahiyr, who would not be winning out of turn after four successive placed efforts in Grade One company.
“The step up in trip will definitely suit us. Obviously, you never know with these horses coming back from Cheltenham so quickly, but he seems in good form and he’s well,” said Elliott.
“I thought it was a career-best last time and he is improving.”
Paul Nicholls saddles both two previous course winners in McFabulous and Monmiral.
He told Betfair: “The plan was to take McFabulous to Cheltenham for the Coral Cup but we changed our mind when the rain arrived in torrents on the day. So I’ve kept him fresh for the Aintree Hurdle and the trip of two and a half miles looks ideal. We are hoping cheekpieces first time can bring out a bit more improvement.
“It’s never easy for a juvenile in his second season and Monmiral has had a frustrating campaign after picking up a nasty injury in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle.
“He was on the easy list for a while so we knew he wasn’t quite ready in the National Spirit at Fontwell where he travelled keenly and jumped really well until blowing up going to the final flight. That was a stepping-stone towards Aintree and he is much sharper now.
“Monmiral looked so good in victory at this meeting last year and while on ratings he needs to improve, I’m sure he will appreciate the step up in trip.”
Glory And Fortune (Tom Lacey) and Guard Your Dreams (Nigel Twiston-Davies) are the other hopefuls.
Rosy Redrum aiming to blossom at Aintree
Red Rum and Aintree are inseparable to racing fans – so Rosy Redrum can be expected to have plenty of support in the Goffs UK Nickel Coin Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.
The Milton Harris-trained chestnut has a leading chance, too, and lines up for the Grade Two event having won her bumper debut at Wincanton in January. A Listed race at Newbury the following month was the next port of call, one in which the mare was beaten into second by Emma Lavelle’s Top Dog.
“She is very good. I like her a lot. She is as nice a young horse as we have seen for a long time,” Harris said of his filly.
“All of mine wouldn’t want too much rain. So I’m hoping there won’t be too much. She is in good form, she is fresh and she is well and hopefully she’ll be a massive player. She has just done enough now, I’d be confident. She has a hood on to help her switch off early on.”
Also well-fancied is Willie Mullins’ Ashroe Diamond, fourth in a similar Grade Two mares’ bumper at Leopardstown in February.
“She ran really well at the Dublin Racing Festival and I think she’ll like the ground and the track,” said assistant trainer Patrick Mullins.
“We’re very happy with her at home and I’d be expecting her to be in the money again.”
Lorna Fowler has a live chance in Naughtinesse, a home-bred half-sister to graded performers Don Poli and Politesse and a decisive winner of a Fairyhouse bumper on New Year’s Day.
“She is living up to her name, she is very well and very naughty!” the trainer said.
“She does seem in very good form, we missed Leopardstown because of sore shins, they weren’t terrible but it was enough for it to make sense to back off. There are a lot of expectations for these fillies and I think everyone’s going to find out a bit more about how good they are.”
The race Naughtinesse won in January is historically a high-class one, with a roll of honour that includes Next Destination, Dunvegan and Whatdeawant – all horses with top-notch form.
“That was against the boys, she had a filly’s allowance there but she didn’t have a claimer on her back so it was good to see where she was at with the weights,” Fowler said.
“She won it nicely and she won it well, but she’s going to have to prove herself up at the next level. I wouldn’t say she’s improved because she went into that race in particularly good form, but there’s nothing like a bit of spring in the air for fillies. She’s just fresh, I’ve worked her plenty and she’s feeling great.”
Donald McCain – another famous Aintree name – has a pair of chances in the unbeaten Roc Of Dundee and six-year-old Nell’s Bells, who was a 17-length winner at Carlisle before finishing unplaced at Cheltenham in January.
“Roc Of Dundee’s done nothing wrong, she’s won her two bumpers and she’s toughed it out and done it well,” the trainer said.
“Nell’s Bells was very impressive at Carlisle and then didn’t really come down the hill at Cheltenham. They’re both winners and they deserve to have a chance and run in a good race.”
Elsewhere in the contest is Dan Skelton’s Kateira, a winner on her sole start at Huntingdon in February, with Paul Nicholls’ Iliade Allen making her debut for the yard after impressing in three bumpers for Nick Williams.
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