Trainer Harriet Graham hoping everything goes right for Aye Right at Newbury
The seven-year-old is vying for favouritism in the historic three-and-a-quarter-mile handicap, after a third-placed finish behind Cyrname and Vinndication in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.
Piloted by regular jockey Callum Bewley who previously rode for Sue and Harvey Smith, Graham’s charge was only beaten seven lengths by Paul Nicholls’s Gold Cup hope.
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Hide Ad“It was a great performance,” said Jedburgh-based Graham, who trains alongside her role as clerk of the course at Musselburgh and Hamilton Park.
“We would have been quite content, coming into the Ladbrokes Trophy, had we been fifth or sixth. Cyrname, let’s be really honest here, he probably could have beaten us by 20 or 30 lengths. We were all probably relying on him making a mistake, he is an incredibly classy horse, a dream horse.
“Aye Right is probably not a Cyrname, but he’s a really good galloping, jumping horse.”
Aye Right will meet Vinndication again this weekend, this time on 7lb better terms with five lengths to make up.
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Hide Ad“Vinndication is a really good horse and Kim Bailey is a very good trainer, I really respect Kim Bailey,” said Graham.
“You have to think there’s maybe a chance that we could get closer. Everybody’s there and everybody’s going to be wanting to win the race. That’s what makes National Hunt racing. They’ve not only got to gallop, they’ve got to jump all thefences, they’ve got to have the right tactics and it’s all got to go right.”
Meanwhile Malton trainer Brian Ellison will be looking for a better showing from Grand National hopeful Definitly Red in Newcastle’s Rehearsal Chase.
The prospect of better ground should suit the former Gold Cup contender who was last in the aforementioned Charlie Hall; top weight is more of a hindrance.
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Hide AdThyme Hill put down a marker for this year’s three-mile hurdling division with an impressive win yesterday under Richard Johnson.
Trained by Philip Hobbs, Johnson’s mount seized the initiative in the Long Distance Hurdle in the home straight and left Aidan Coleman with too much to do on former champion Paisley Park.
The disappointment was Jedd O’Keeffe’s Sam Spinner – the Middleham horse was last to finish with his jumping once again lacking fluency.
Two-time champion Flat jockey Oisin Murphy has been banned for three months by France Galop.
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Hide AdEven though they accept he did not take cocaine, and that a positive sample was the result of contamination, France has a zero tolerance approach. The ban runs from December 11 to March 11, 2021, but he’s free to ride when the new season starts.
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