Mon Mome set for new tilt at National glory

The veteran was a 100-1 winner of the world’s most famous steeplechase in 2009 but spent over a year-and-a-half on the sidelines with injury after falling heavily in the race 12 months later when AP McCoy galloped to a famous victory on Don’t Push It.

Now 12 years old, he was not disgraced on his comeback run over hurdles at Haydock last month and, switched back to fences at Cheltenham, Mon Mome ran a blinder under top weight to finish a close second to the Philip Hobbs-trained Mostly Bob.

Mon Mome’s improved form is indicative of a resurgence now gathering momentum at the Herefordshire yard of his trainer Venetia Williams, who reported yesterday: “He’s come out of the race in good order and we were obviously very pleased with his run.

“Hopefully, he’ll be going back to Aintree but I don’t know what we’ll do between now and then. We’ll just see how he is and make a plan from there.”

A likely prep race remains the Cheltenham Gold Cup – he was third to Imperial Commander in the 2010 renewal and jockey Aidan Coleman still regards this as one of the finest, certainly the most lucrative, achievements in his career.

He said after Sunday’s run that Mon Mome had regained his old zest, even though it was Liam Treadwell in the saddle when the horse won the 2009 National because Coleman had opted to ride seventh fence faller Stan.

Mon Mome is available at 50-1 with Stan James to repeat his National heroics on April 14.

Hazy Tom, a Wetherby winner in November, is more likely to line up in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle than the Neptune at the Cheltenham Festival, according to his trainer Charlie Longsdon.

The six-year-old had gone unbeaten in four races before meeting with defeat for the first time in the Grade Two Kennel Gate Novices’ Hurdle at Ascot.

Longsdon had felt a step up in trip was the way forward until Richard Johnson told him he was an ideal type for the Supreme, the Festival curtain raiser, over two miles.

That is a tip in itself, Johnson having won the 2010 Supreme on Menorah .

“We’re looking for a race for him in mid-February,” said Longsdon. “He’s grown in the break we’ve given him so it was definitely the right thing to do.

“It wasn’t that he was disgraced at Ascot by any means, but I definitely think the ground was all against him.”

Queen Mother Champion Chase hero Sizing Europe remains on course for next month’s Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown ahead of the defence of his Cheltenham crown.

Henry de Bromhead’s stable star has been given a mid-season break since producing a brilliant performance to win the Tingle Creek at Sandown early last month.

But the 10-year-old’s Festival preparations will soon be stepped up a notch, taking in the Punchestown feature on February 5.

“He’s in good form,” said de Bromhead. “We’re starting to build him back up again now and we’re aiming towards Punchestown. All going well there, he’ll be going back to Cheltenham for the Champion Chase.”

Connections of 2009 Champion Hurdle hero Punjabi have confirmed the gelding will once again miss the entire season through injury.

The nine-year-old has not been seen since finishing well beaten at the 2010 Punchestown Festival, with a setback ruling him out of an intended novice chasing campaign last season.

Nicky Henderson and his team had hoped Punjabi would start off his career over fences this time around and he had even begun schooling over the larger obstacles but another injury has left him on the sidelines once again.

Tony Stafford, racing manager for owner Raymond Tooth, said: “He had a setback and unfortunately he is out for the season again.

“It wasn’t the same injury as before but with horses like him who have had time off, you need to be 100 per cent sure they are right before you bring them back.

“It’s disappointing – Tony McCoy schooled him one day and was delighted with the way he jumped.”

The horse may be called Always Wrong but Graham Lee had no complaints yesterday when the Ferdy Murphy-trained chaser prevailed at Sedgefield.

It was Lee’s first victory since breaking his collarbone at Huntingdon last month.

A waterlogged course has forced today’s Chepstow card to be abandoned.