Editeur Du Gite rallies to beat Edwardstone

Cheltenham Wednesday preview: What the trainers say

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Wed March 15, 2023 · 3y ago

Check out the view from connections ahead of today's big-race action at Cheltenham.

3.30 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase

Alan King - Edwardstone: “I would obviously have preferred to have won (on Trials day), but it wasn’t to be and Gary’s horse battled back well. I’m very happy where I have the horse and we can’t do any more our end. We’re in very good shape for Wednesday, we just hope to get a nice, clean run now and see what happens.”

Gary Moore - Editeur Du Gite: “As long as he is as good as he was last time, that’s what he needs to be really. I see no reason why he can’t run like that again. I’m very happy with him, his preparation has gone well and it’s all systems go.”

“Hopefully he can do the same as Sire De Grugy. It would be nice and also a bit unbelievable – something I never thought he would be doing anyway. But it just shows you never know in this game!

“It’s surprised me how much he has improved but time is an amazing thing in racing and he has improved a massive amount and probably needs to improve a bit more now as well.”

Dan Skelton - Nube Negra: “He goes very well fresh and is very good around the course. Any dry days or hours would be appreciated. The day he beat Altior at Kempton it was officially described as soft, but we do know the better the ground, the more suitable it is for him. He’s very good at home and I couldn’t have him any better to be honest.”

Paul Nicholls - Greaneteen: “I couldn’t be happier with Greaneteen who is much sharper now after a below-0par run at Newbury a month ago when I left him under cooked. I think you can put a line through that run when he was too fresh and the ground was quicker than he likes.

“Greaneteen pleased me in an away day at Lambourn recently, is much fitter going to Cheltenham and will appreciate some ease in the ground. He ran very well when finishing a close fourth in the race two years ago and I can see him being placed again.”

5.30 Weatherbys Champion Bumper

Oliver Sherwood - Queens Gamble: “It’s difficult to assess the form on two ways – firstly taking on the Irish and then going up against the boys for the first time. But she’s entitled to be there and she hasn’t missed a beat.

“She’s in great order and I’ve been really happy with her prep. She loves Cheltenham and the only thing I don’t know is how she will handle this soft ground, but you’re not going to know until you try.

“They set out to beat her at Market Rasen and we got the tactics wrong, so fair play to Paddy (Brennan) and Fergal (O’Brien, jockey and trainer of winner Dysart Enos). She lost nothing in defeat as far as I’m concerned and she goes there with a live each-way chance on Wednesday. Johnny Burke knows her inside out, so we keep our fingers crossed.”

Anthony Bromley - It’s For Me: “He has done nothing wrong and is unbeaten in a point to point and a bumper for the owners. He has got to move forward from that and improve, but he is a very likable horse and in an open year, he has a sound chance.

“There’s no doubt he has to improve from what he has done so far. That said, he is a likable horse with potential, but it is a big step up in class.”

John Kiely - A Dream To Share: "He’s run very well so far. He’s in good form and we are hoping for a good run. It would be nice if he could keep living up to his name – he has done so up to now.”

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