A review of the rest of the action and free video replays from Saturday's meeting at Newbury.
Headway lives up to name
Making Headway proved well named as he made all the running to secure his spot at the Cheltenham Festival by taking the Betfair Racing Podcasts Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury.
Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s six-year-old has been highly tried since scoring at Carlisle on debut, finishing second in a Grade Two at Haydock before heading to the highest level at Aintree on Boxing Day.
He finished fourth on that occasion and back in calmer waters, he was sent off the 6-4 favourite in the hands of Henry Brooke as he showed his quality to land a decisive one-and-a-quarter-length success.
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“We were a bit worried when Nicky Henderson and Jonjo O’Neill’s horses were being backed, but we’ve always liked him and he’s so straightforward and wants further,” said Greenall.
“It’s hard to do that from the front and he’s looking about and it’s tough for Henry to know what speed he is going. It didn’t look to be that quick, but Josh text me to say they were going 29 to 30 miles per hour – on heavy ground, that is probably quick enough.
“As soon as they have come to him and given him some company, he has gone on again and he had his ears pricked crossing the line.”
Stable star Iroko provided the Greenall and Guerriero team with their first Cheltenham Festival success in last year’s Martin Pipe and that is one of the options available to their latest star novice.
Greenall added: “We will get him entered in the Coral Cup and the Martin Pipe and I think a step up in trip will bring about a better performance. Hopefully the handicapper will base the race on him and his mark shouldn’t alter.
“Iroko had that season juvenile hurdling and was a lot more streetwise and that would be my only concern about going to Cheltenham with Making Headway.
“We were probably in two minds before today whether we would go to Cheltenham because he is a rawer type – Iroko being more of a French type running in those good juvenile hurdles – but to be fair to this lad, when he went up in grade at Haydock and Aintree he looked flat out but jumped very well, which I think is a sign of a very good horse, so he would have that in his favour.”
Making Headway leads at Newbury
Infantry to swerve Festival
One horse not heading to Cheltenham is Dan Skelton’s Royal Infantry, who impressed when landing the concluding Betfair Exchange Beacons Bumper.
The 9/2 chance landed the Listed event in cosy fashion to tee-up a trip to Aintree instead of Prestbury Park in the spring.
Skelton said: “The hint is the races he has won have been at flat tracks. He will get his chance to go round Cheltenham, but I just think subjecting him to that in four and a bit weeks, we can probably do a bit better by him at the moment.
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t run him there if it wasn’t the right thing to do. But Let It Rain is going to go there and she gets a 7lb allowance.”
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No big plans for Nicholls winner
Also set to be kept to low-key assignments is Paul Nicholls’ Makin’yourmindup, who got his chasing career up and running in the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.
“He’s a lovely, big horse who has taken plenty of time and stays forever,” said Nicholls. “He will be next year’s horse to run in all of those staying marathon races.
“He doesn’t want to run too quick and we will run him another one or two times. It will probably be similar types of races and I’m not going to be taking him to silly races because he probably lacks a bit of pace to run at Aintree or Cheltenham and in those better races.
“There will be races for him when there is cut in the ground and maybe something like the nice novice handicap at Ayr. He has to go left-handed, we’ve worked that one out and going right doesn’t suit him, but he’s a lovely prospect and he’s learning all the time.”
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Emitom wins his 'Gold Cup'
Alan King described the Betfair Serial Winners Fund Handicap Hurdle as Emitom’s “Gold Cup” as he registered his second Newbury triumph.
The 10-year-old had to battle hard to see off 3/11 favourite Kyntara, with King believing the game veteran is unlikely to compete in the Pertemps Final at Prestbury Park next month.
“He was brave and since we’ve had him, he’s only disappointed me once,” said the Barbury Castle handler. “We probably over-faced him in the valuable race up at Haydock – it was too competitive and he never really went a yard.
“We gave him a little break and he bumped into a proper horse of Jonjo’s at Ludlow (Saint Davy) and we were very happy with him leading into this.
“He likes Newbury and this was his Gold Cup. He’ll want plenty of time and had a tough old race today, so we will give him a month and we haven’t really looked beyond today.”
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