Aye Right misses Doncaster’s Sky Bet Chase to run in Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham instead

The win of Aye Right in Newcastle's Rehearsal Chase was the most significant to date in the career of Callum Bewley.

HARRIET Graham has confirmed that stable star Aye Right is likely to miss this weekend’s Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster.

She says the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham, the feature race on Festival Trials Day, is the preferred weekend target for her stable star.

After being placed in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby, the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, the aforementioned Sky Bet Chase and at the Cheltenham Festival last season, the eight-year-old was last seen claiming an overdue victory in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle in November under Callum Bewley.

This was the now retired Defiintly Red and Danny Cook winning the 2017 Cotswold Chase for Yorkshire.

Graham gave her charge the option of returning to Doncaster for a second tilt at the Sky Bet Chase on Saturday, having filled the runner-up spot behind Takingrisks 12 months ago.

But with Aye Right burdened with top-weight of 11st 12lb in the Town Moor handicap, his Roxburghshire-based trainer is set to instead send him to Prestbury Park for a recognised Gold Cup trial won previously by the likes of Brian Ellison’s Definitly Red.

Graham, who combines training with clerk of the course duties at Hamilton, said: “I’m pretty sure we’re going for the Cotswold, unless the Sky Bet gets rid of all those lowly-weighted progressive horses, which I don’t think it will.

“I know we carry a penalty at Cheltenham, but that’s in a maximum eight-runner race compared to a 20-odd runner race at Doncaster.

“I’d like to think he goes to Cheltenham with a good chance. We aim to run him at the Festival, all going well, either in the Ultima or the Gold Cup, so to have a spin round there makes sense.

“This will give us a better idea of which way we’re going at the Festival, definitely.”

Meanwhile, Ireland’s top novice Bob Olinger looks set to go straight to Cheltenham in March and miss the Dublin Racing Festival.

The Henry de Bromhead-trained seven-year-old landed the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle last year and is so far unbeaten in two starts over fences.

The latest of those came in a Grade Three at Punchestown earlier this month under Rachael Blackmore after which the big Leopardstown meeting was mentioned as a possibility before Cheltenham.

In other news, Malton trainer Brian Ellison’s Cool Jet features among 95 entries for the Grade One Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The latest entries for the National Hunt Festival also include Skycutter in the JCB Triumph Hurdle for Catterick-based Phil Kirby.

And the BHA has confirmed that minimum riding weights for all jockeys will be permanently raised by 2lb from March 26 due to the closure of racecourse saunas in the wake of Covid. The minimum weight carried by Flat jockeys will be 8st 2lb while jumpers will ride from a minimum of 10st 2lb from April 29.