Definitly Red heads for Doncaster with Gold Cup a consideration

The Brian Ellison-trained eight-year-old bounced back from defeat in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on his seasonal return with an emphatic victory in the Grade Two Many Clouds Chase at Aintree earlier this month.

The immediate aftermath saw Malton-based Ellison and owner Phil Martin, from Tickhill, nominate the Grade One Betfred Bowl at Aintree next April as their target.

However, both the blue riband Gold Cup and the Grand National itself are re-entering their calculations.

A favourite for this year’s National, jockey Danny Cook was forced to pull the horse up after his tack slipped following a melee at Becher’s Brook on the first circuit.

However, the horse is now rated just behind Nicky Henderson’s Might Bite, a dual Grade One winner and leading contender for Boxing Day’s King George VI Chase at Kempton and this might force the hand of connections.

Definitly Red came to prominence when winning Wetherby’s Rowland Meyrick Chase nearly a year ago before landing Doncaster’s Grimthorpe Chase in March.

“He did it well at Aintree and Danny said he had loads left. He will go for the Sky Bet at Doncaster now,” said Ellison.

“Phil Martin was talking about that as he likes it there and the horse won well on Town Moor last season.

“He will have an entry in the Gold Cup and Grand National and he will go for one of them, or he might go for the Bowl at Aintree. He is only rated 3lb below Might Bite so he is in that bracket.

“He only went up 1lb for winning at Aintree. He has been fair on him as the second and third probably didn’t stay on that heavy ground.

“He does not mind heavy or soft ground. He is such a lovely-moving horse and when it is heavy he can go through it.

“He doesn’t like it tacky, which it was at Wetherby, and like what it was when he unseated at Haydock last season.”

Ripon-based Cook enjoyed a 14-1 winner at Musselburgh yesterday courtesy of the Sandy Thomson-trained Ballycrystal Court.