Cheka on course for Dante meeting as rain threatens to hit Ripon and Wetherby

THE Cheka is on course to have his next outing in the Duke of York Stakes next month at York’s Dante meeting following his cosy victory at Doncaster.

The six-year-old is to stick to six furlongs in the Group Two on the Knavesmire after being successful at his first try at that distance in the Cammidge Trophy four weeks ago.

He had previously been campaigned at around seven furlongs and a mile.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“He’s in great form and he’ll probably go for the Duke of York,” said trainer Eve Johnson Houghton.

“He’s dead easy to deal with and he’s a really happy horse. He always runs well fresh so there’s no point over-racing him. The timing of York is perfect after his Doncaster run.”

More immediately, Yorkshire’s racing prospects hinge on the unseasonal rain which is ruining the plans of many trainers.

A deluge forced Beverley to abandon yesterday afternoon’s card while an 11.30am inspection today will determine Ripon’s prospects for tomorrow.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Although the North Yorkshire course was raceable yesterday, heavy rain was forecast overnight.

The same also applies to Wetherby, which is due to stage the first meeting of the new National Hunt season on Sunday – clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson will make an assessment today in lieu of overnight rain, though racing, he says, could have been staged at the track yesterday on ground described as soft, heavy in places.

However, Leicester is not so fortunate – tomorrow’s planned card is already off.

The weather is also playing havoc with the five-day Punchestown Festival in Ireland, which concludes tomorrow, with many races having to be rearranged to take account of the desperately heavy ground conditions.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Today’s feature is the return of Hurricane Fly in the Rabobank Champion Hurdle with his trainer, Willie Mullins, responsible for three of the four runners.

Ruby Walsh’s mount, bidding for success at the Punchestown Festival for the fourth consecutive season, is on the comeback trail after a lacklustre run in the English equivalent at Cheltenham last month.

“He’s been working well and seems in good form. Hopefully, he can produce a good performance,” said Mullins.

The trainer’s all-conquering stable will also unleash the committed grey Thousand Stars, who regularly chases home Hurricane Fly, finished second in the race a year ago and ran a blinder to just lose out to Oscar Whisky in the Aintree Hurdle.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Zaidpour, who was eighth in the Champion Hurdle but had looked more like his old self in minor races on testing ground earlier in the campaign, completes the trio. Edward O’Grady’s The Real Article makes up the field.

“Both Zaidpour and Thousand Stars have run good, solid races this season. They are both fit and well and will like the ground,” added Mullins.

Donald McCain’s British raider, Overturn, was not declared for the race.

Back home, Dermot Weld brings Famous Name across from Ireland in an attempt to overthrow Richard Hannon’s domination of the bet365 Mile at Sandown this afternon.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hannon has won the Group Two race an incredible six times in the last eight renewals. This time around, he will saddle Dubawi Gold and Libranno but they will face a serious examination from Weld’s long-serving representative, who is a big favourite of his jockey, Pat Smullen, having ridden him in all but one of his 30 starts.

A multiple scorer at Listed and Group Three level, it has been an ambition of Weld to get the seven-year-old to secure an elusive Group One win.

“He’s obviously in good form having won his first run of the season at Leopardstown the other day,” said Smullen.

John Gosden’s Questioning, fresh from a narrow victory over the durable Twice Over at Newmarket last week, will have another clash with David O’Meara’s new charge Penitent, who got the edge in the Doncaster Mile last month.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Penitent runs in the colours of the Barton-on-Humber-based Middleham Park Racing, whose spokesman Nick Bradley said: “We know that he’ll be more suited to the ground than some of the others. When he was at William Haggas’s he had problems with his joints and feet but since he’s been at David’s, he’s been fine.”

Related topics: