The John Torpey
Memorial Trophy
February Total
Neil
70.7 821.1
Bob
57.4 551.1
Cliff
38.8
474.1
Peej
16.1 472.9
Tony
11.1 441.9
Lee
16.1 427.4
Cod
51.7 322.2
Martin
27.2 287.3
Steve
27.7 285.1
Congratulations to
Neil who was trainer of the month
News
Leading amateur jockey Derek O'Connor has switched
allegiances from Native River to Minella Rocco in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival
The Punter has exclusive
news from the Nigel Twiston- Davies and Paul Nicholls yards on their Cheltenham
prospects
Saphir Du Rheu
He was second in last year's World Hurdle and then he went
chasing, winning the Grade One at Aintree in the spring. The idea was that he'd
go chasing this season and he won well at Carlisle earlier in the year. Ran OK
in the Hennessy looking back at it now, with 11st 12lb on ground was that quite
testing. He travelled quite well to two out but didn't really finish it off and
clearly ran no race at all over Christmas in the Long Walk Hurdle, fading from
the back of the second-last. I was always a little suspicious of his breathing
so straight after Ascot we gave him a little breathing operation and he's in
good form. That's helped him out and although he's a big horse who should
handle soft ground I've always thought his very best form, at Cheltenham and
Aintree last term, is on decent ground. So I think on better ground we'll see
him in a completely different light. He's a high-class horse and has come
together really well. He's been working well with Aux Ptit Soins for the past
six weeks or so and has had a racecourse gallop. He'll have another one next
week and I'm very, very pleased with him. All through the autumn, and even in
the Hennessy, I thought he still looked a little bit fat and we were struggling
to get the weight off him. But he's looking really well now and I'm happy with
his progress. I maintain that he and the horse that won last year (Cole Harden)
are both big players. He'll ultimately go back chasing next year but I think
we're doing the right thing going back hurdling with him for now.
Aux Ptit Soins
He won the Coral Cup last year and is unbeaten over hurdles.
It's been hard to train him this time as he came back from John's (Hales) with
an infection in his foot and then we had a sinus problem with him. He had two
lots of surgery on a tooth which was causing him that problem and also some
surgery on his sinus just to clear that up. He had a month on the water
treadmill back at John's and came to us in January 1. We've been able to get
stuck into him with work since then and he's had a racecourse gallop with
Saphir Du Rheu. He'll have another trip away and then he'll run in the World
Hurdle. It would have been nice to get a run into him but I have to say he's
coming together nicely and working very well. He's very talented but it's a big
ask after the problems he's had. He'll have a couple of runs this spring,
probably at Aintree after Cheltenham, then he'll come back novice chasing in
the autumn. It'll be nice to have another summer on his back and hopefully have
a clear run with him now.
Dodging Bullets
It's been a nightmare with him due to being off for most of the
season with a splint problem. He had his first run of the season just the other
day and was well beaten into second but if you look at it he was beaten on his
first run back last season and obviously went on to win last year's Champion
Chase. He is a very good work horse at home so it's easy to think he's at a
slightly better stage than he is (in terms of fitness). He's come back from
having a long time off, but probably just got tired on the ground at Newbury as
he travelled really well so possibly just needed the run a bit more than we
thought. Initially I was very disappointed but coming back from what he's had
you have to give them a bit of time. He's improved a lot for that and he likes
Cheltenham and better ground. I won't pretend he's not got a mountain to climb
to beat the favourite Un De Sceaux, who looks very good but behind him the rest
look much of a muchness. I'm hopeful of a much improved run at Cheltenham on
some better ground. Having said that, he was going into the race last year off
the back of winning the Tingle Creek and the Clarence House Chase so it's a bit
different now. If Un De Sceaux jumps around then he's going to be very hard to
beat but it's a competitive race and they go a right gallop around there in the
Champion so the favourite will have to jump well.
Le Mercurey
He's in the RSA Chase as well as the big three-mile handicap
chase on the first day at the Festival. He went up 7lb for finishing third at
Ascot in the Reynoldstown, which gives him a mark of 147. Probably ran a career
best at the weekend, giving 7lb to the first two home. He looked like winning
but just propped going into the last and went on to finish third. Before that
he ran at Doncaster in the Sky Bet Chase and it was basically all over after
just three fences. He just didn't get going at all. He's possibly going to be
better in a smaller field, rather than a big-field 20 runner handicap. We put
cheekpieces on him at Ascot, that just helped him concentrate and he ran a
really good race. I suspect if we end up running him at Cheltenham at all it
will be in the RSA Chase and hope for a bit of soft ground as that's what he
really loves.
The New One
He schooled this morning, he was fabulous - really exciting. The
Champion Hurdle is obviously easier than we first thought and I think he's
value at the sort of price he is. The problem last year was that he had bad
feet so that involved him swimming a lot - the whole time - and that affected
his back but now he's not swimming he's 100 per cent. The foot problem came
back before Christmas so we had a very rushed preparation to get him ready for
the Christmas Hurdle and he ran well there and since then he's been absolutely
fine. I'm looking forward to the big day.
Bristol De Mai
He's done absolutely nothing wrong at all, he really hasn't. Two
and a half miles has been a revelation for him and his jumping is as good as
you'll find so he's very exciting. We were absolutely gutted after the Scilly
Isles at Sandown, we thought it was a disaster because we got beaten but Ar Mad
has turned out to be a really, really good horse. The reason he looks good on
heavy ground over two miles is that it makes it more of a stamina test but now
over two and a half miles the stamina test is the distance rather than the
ground.
Vibrato Valtat
He's had a good season, he won the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter and
has been running some solid races, in the Tingle Creek and the Clarence House
at Ascot. Two miles is probably just sharp enough for him against the best as
he's always flat out. I've always wanted to try him out over a trip and he's
going to run in the Ryanair Chase this year. That'll be a more suitable race
for him and he's a good horse when fresh. He carries plenty of condition but
we'll get plenty of hard graft into him before then. He's been really
progressive and it's not been easy for him but he'll run another solid race.
Southfield Theatre
He could run a big race in the Ultima if we can get him back to
form. He was second in the RSA last year and some better ground will suit him.
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