Day 3 Straight From The Trainers Mouth

Straight From The Trainers Mouth

Day 3 Cheltenham

13:30 Jewson Novice Chase

Captain Conan –

I like Captain Conan and he is most likely to run in this race. He didn’t travel or jump at Sandown but I expect him to improve; he’s working well and the distance is perfect for him. – Barry Geraghty

Captain Conan
Goes for the Jewson. I know he wasn't impressive at Sandown but he's in tremendous form. I'd be very happy. He's squealing. He's going to start work again this week.- Nicky Henderson

Aupcharlie –

Aupcharlie is much improved this season. Trip will suit him, Nature of race will suit him but all depends on whether Dynaste ,

who I think is the best novice, runs or not. Maybe Marito at a big price e/w might run well.- Ruby Walsh

Changing Times –

 We’ve got a nice new one called Changing Times, who has just arrived from Ireland. He’ll get in one of the handicaps and he looks quite good. He looks a smashing sort. My slight worry would be his last two wins have been on heavy ground and I don’t think we’ll have that at Cheltenham.  - Nigel Twiston Davies

14:05 Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle

Close Home –

was given a really good mention off a mark of 143 which he seemed to think was workable – David Pipe

Junior  - will also go here off a much lower hurdles rating.. – David Pipe

Kayf Aramis –

he will turn up in the Pertemps Final for the fifth time. He is in good heart.- Nigel Twiston Davies

Sam Winner
Runs in the Pertemps Final. The last time he ran at Cheltenham, he injured his knee, which meant he had to have the rest of last season off. He came back at Sandown before Christmas, carried top weight in one of those Pertemps qualifiers, was really only half ready because I had to be careful because of his knee injury, stayed on very strongly into fifth and we thought we'd go straight to the Pertemps Final with him. We didn't want to overdo him this season, he can hopefully go back over fences next year. Then the BHA very kindly put on the jumpers' bumpers day at Kempton. We ran him and he beat Peddlers Cross, which was great, because it kept up his fitness. He stays really well. After the Pertemps Final, he might even stay and be a decent three-mile hurdler next season. Will go chasing again one day but I don't think we've seen the best of him yet over hurdles and I think three miles will bring out the best in him. We've definitely got a chance with this lad – Paul Nicholls
Shuttthefrontdoor
But if he does go to Cheltenham, and that's the plan, I think he'll probably go for the Pertemps Final because they'll go a little bit slower and that will give him a bit more time to jump, I hope.
"Make one mistake in those handicaps and your chance has gone.
"It's a rough race but he's a big strong horse – I just don't know if he's experienced enough for it.
"He'll go there with a chance and he'll learn a lot from it and he'll be a lovely horse for next season. – Jonjo O’Neill

14:40 Ryanair Chase

Champion Court –

He's in fantastic shape and schooled very nicely this morning. Jason will ride work on him tomorrow and then he is coming back on Monday to school him over fences to get to know him. – Martin Keighley

Cue Card –

We are going for the Ryanair Chase with Cue Card, although he will be left in the Champion Chase and if the favourite comes out we may consider going back to the two-miler," – Colin Tizzard

Sizing Europe –

We always look forward to Cheltenham when he's running. He's been super.

He seems in good form, seems well and we are happy with him at the moment. - Henry De Bromhead

Riverside Theatre -
He's defending his crown and seems to be forgotten about. He's going to Kempton, actually [for a racecourse gallop on Saturday]. He's in great form. He was nearly disappointing in the Ryanair [last year], except he won it. For the way he was in the Ascot Chase [his previous start, an impressive win], you'd have to say he was disappointing in the Ryanair and then he was awful at Aintree. He was disappointing in the King George but then we went to Bristol [veterinary hospital]. I was expecting to find some sort of respiratory, which we didn't. We found something completely different. And it was significant. One of his ears had got a thorn in it. [Seriously?] No. It was surprising because the horse always looks very well. A lot of these horses, we know now, have ulcers and you can usually tell which ones and he would not be one but Bristol are very, very good. I sent him down there to check his wind out and it turned out he just had a very, very, very . . . And that's why he's always been good fresh because ulcers are created by stress and pressure and training. That explains why he's always good first time and then it deteriorates because once you stress horses, it's the same in humans, you get ulcers. But luckily they're treatable and so they're all treated, he's in great form. I was quite tempted to go to Ascot [last Saturday] but the boys said, we know we're proven fresh, so let's just wait. But the ulcers are under control. They've been checked and they're gone. But they were bad. – Nicky Henderson

Riverside Theatre –

Riverside has been a forgotten horse, he’s doing everything right at home and has a chance.

Sizing Europe could be the biggest danger due to his form, Cue Card form not as good as

Sizing Europe – Barry Geraghty

Menorah –

For Menorah, at least the Ryanair is more open than the Champion Chase but it is obviously more competitive.

Two and a half is probably the right trip for him because we thought he just about got the three miles at Newbury last time.

If everything goes right on the day he’d definitely have a strong each-way chance. – Phillip Hobbs

Ghizao –

Race could suit China Rock Sizing Europe could be past his best. I’ll be on Ghizao at a huge e/w price – Ruby Walsh

Little Josh –

Little Josh is 100% and I’m looking forward to running him in the Ryanair, - Nigel Twiston Davies

15:20 Ladbrokes World Hurdle

Oscar Whiskey –

Oscar Whisky is my bet of the Festival Solwhit is the main danger to him, I see him as the dark horse. – Barry Geraghty

Reve De Sivola –

At top of market I prefer Reve de Sivola over Oscar Whiskey – Ruby Walsh

Wonderful Charm
This is an interesting horse, you've only seen him once in this country. He won the Persian War at Chepstow in October. We've had a little bit of an issue with his breathing before that day, we didn't think he was that clear and during the race, Ruby said, he was choking on and off and he ran a little bit in snatches, so straight afterwards we decided to get on and sort his breathing out. He had a breathing operation. I never was going to be that keen to run him until after Christmas. He's in the Coral Cup and I should think that's favourite, where he's going to run. He's got a mark of 149 and at the moment I don't know whether that's good, bad or indifferent. But he's good form in Auteuil, graded form, and he won the Persian War. In a normal year, if the ground hadn't been so bad, he'd have had a couple of runs by now and we might be heading down the World Hurlde route, he's actually in the World Hurdle. But having not been able to run him, I think we'll go down the handicap route first with him and then see as the season progresses where we end up with him. He's a horse we like a lot. He's going to Kempton on Saturday to have a racecourse gallop. I'd be hopeful he'd be a few pounds off top weight [in the Coral Cup] and he'd go there with a realistic chance. – Paul Nicholls
Get Me Out Of Here
It's a wide-open race with no Big Buck's around – it's still a good race –  and it's gives everyone a chance
Nicky Henderson's horse Oscar Whisky is a very smart horse, but will he get the trip?
I don't know if our fella will get the trip either but we've always felt he wanted further.
He's in good shape at the minute so I'm really looking forward to him going there. – Jonjo O’Neill

16:00 Byrne Group Plate Handicap Chase

Ballynagour –
is set to run in Thursday's Byrne Group Plate, the race we won with Salut Flo last year.
This looks the ideal stepping-stone, over the same trip as when he won so impressively at Warwick last month. He will be left in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle as well but he'll probably end up in the Byrne Group.
We haven't done very much with him since Warwick but if he runs like he did there he'll take a lot of beating - although he hasn't put two good runs together yet.- David Pipe

Vino Griego –

I couldn't be more pleased with him. He will do his last piece of work in the morning [Saturday].

“He will have blood tests and scope on Monday and that's good he is set to go. I'm pleased to see the rain and I hope it keeps coming down.

“It's not going to be easy but no race is at Cheltenham. I'm not concerned about stepping down in trip but I am worried about the 7lb he has gone up for Ascot. But it's not the end of the world. – Gary Moore

Hunt Ball –

we've got something up your sleeve that will blow your brains.

Pipe's horse will need to be very, very good to beat Hunt Ball.

Ballynagour makes the market for us, and I'm not worried about him at all. We haven't seen the best of our horse this season because he's been running on ground he hates and over the wrong trip.

He's been back in proper work for the last two weeks and is going very well. If it doesn't come up soft at Cheltenham, everything will be right for him. – Anthony Knott (owner)

Hunt Ball –

I'm more bullish about this year than I was at this stage 12 months ago.

Hunt Ball went up the hill with all that weight on his back last year, so I'm not worried about him having to concede the weight to Ballynagour.

Carrying weight is not a problem for our horse. He is the class horse of the race and must have a very serious chance. – Kieran Burke

Easter Meteor –

The ground at Doncaster wasn’t ideal for him, it was much slower than he would have preferred and we just got away with it,” said Lavelle.

“I really wanted to get his head in front before we went looking at some of the better races again and what I really love about the horse is his jumping.

“The Byrne Group Plate at Cheltenham would look a logical target at this stage for him. – Emma Lavelle

16:40 Faulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Handicap Chase

Super Duty

After getting the call up for the ride on Rival D'Estruval in the National Hunt Chase a few weeks ago, I am pleased to report that I have been booked to ride Super Duty in the Kim Muir. 

"Donald McCain is a trainer I'm very fond of and he seems happy with Super Duty. He looks as though the trip will suit him and I'm hoping he'll go very close – Derek O’Connor