CRUELLY timed injuries forced the two best horses in Nigel Twiston-Davies’s yard out of the Cheltenham Festival last year but the trainer has retained his faith. Weather permitting, both will carry stable confidence on a glittering card at Cheltenham on Saturday.
Victory for Ollie Magern, in the Letheby and Christopher Cotswold Chase, would see him promoted close to favouritism for an open totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. Fundamentalist, meanwhile, will use the Victor Chandler Chase to promote his claims for an equally denuded Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Despite the talent in his team, this has been a season of two steps forward and one back for Twiston-Davies and the pattern continued yesterday. Amid his optimism over the two restored chasing stars, the trainer revealed that The Cool Guy, one of this season’s leading novice hurdlers, has been sidelined by a leg injury.
Having won the championship bumper at Aintree last April, The Cool Guy was a facile winner of his first two races over hurdles and was beaten only by Denman in the Challow Hurdle. “We had high hopes for him in the spring but, sadly, he’s damaged a leg and won’t be running again this season,” Twiston-Davies said.
While the small but spring-heeled Ollie Magern announced his return from a hairline fracture of a cannonbone by winning the Charlie Hall Chase in October, Fundamentalist disappointed on his comeback in Wetherby’s other landmark race, the Castleford Chase after Christmas.
Advertisement
Yesterday, as he returned to his Cotswold gallops after a skiing break, Twiston-Davies forgave that run and offered equal mitigation for Ollie Magern’s subsequently disappointing sixth place in the King George VI Chase. “Things didn’t fall for either of them over Christmas but I’m expecting them to run much better on Saturday,” he said.
“The ground at Wetherby was horribly heavy for the Castleford and that, combined with it being his first run for a year, didn’t suit Fundamentalist. It will be much better for him at Cheltenham and he’s been working very well.”
Fourteen remain in the Victor Chandler Chase, which carries prize-money of £110,000. Mister McGoldrick, returning to fences after a gallant run over hurdles last Saturday, heads the weights and Paul Nicholls, the leading trainer, has three of the market principals. If, however, Fundamentalist is back to the form of his early runs as a novice, he remains the most intriguing contender.
The Champion Chase has already lost Well Chief and Azertyuiop, while Moscow Flyer has been showing his age. Central House pulled a muscle when suffering a heavy defeat at Fairyhouse on Sunday and Fundamentalist is one of few capable of shaking up a moribund market.
A second lacklustre run by Kingscliff on Saturday left the Gold Cup betting in a state of uncertainty not seen since before the advent of Best Mate. Beef Or Salmon is an uneasy favourite, given that he has seldom shown his best at Cheltenham, and the race previously known as the Pillar Chase will thus be still more significant than usual.
Advertisement
The five-day declarations for the Letheby and Christopher number 18 but five of these are owned by David Johnson, who is unlikely to run more than two. Take The Stand and Royal Auclair, placed in last year’s Gold Cup, both feature and, if the ground is good, Monkerhostin will bid to build on his second in the King George.
Ollie Magern unseated his rider early in the Pillar Chase last year but Twiston-Davies remains bullish. “I’m very excited about him,” he said. “The Gold Cup is so open that he’ll probably be favourite if he wins on Saturday.”
The greatest threat to his plans may come from elements beyond his control. Cheltenham could face severe frost on several successive nights this week and measures are already in place both to protect the course and, if abandonment is unavoidable, to reschedule the principal races.
Simon Claisse, the clerk of the course, said: “We have frost covers in place at all take-offs and landings, all crossings and entries, but it is impossible to cover all areas. We are told that cloud cover might yet keep the temperatures from going too low but I am already addressing the contingency plans for our three major races.”
AYR ABANDONED AS SPARKS FLY
Advertisement
THE meeting at Ayr yesterday was abandoned after three races on the advice of the emergency services. The garden shed of a house alongside the back straight of the course caught fire, but as the shed contained a gas tank, the police and fire brigade decided to evacuate houses within a 200-metre safety cordon. With the track inside the cordon, racing was abandoned.