Definitly Red given time over Grand National bid

TOP steeplechaser Definitly Red will be given time to recover from a heavy fall before connections contemplate a Grand National bid.

The 2019 Yorkshire horse of the year was travelling well in Newcastle’s Rehearsal Chase 10 days ago when making an uncharacteristic mistake and coming to grief.

Connections believe the Brian Ellison-trained chaser was distracted by a loose horse before making a poor jump and crumpling on landing in a dramatic race ultimately won by Ryan Mania on the resurgent Yorkhill who is co-owned by golfer Lee Westwood.

The winner of 15 out of 36 starts, and over £450,000 in prize money, Definitly Red had been running with far more purpose and promise than he had showed in Wetherby’s Charlie Hall Chase when trailing home last.

“He’s a bit battered and bruised but he didn’t do any long-term damage,” owner Phil Martin told The Yorkshire Post last night. “We will give him a little bit of a break and look to find something after Christmas.”

Tickhill-based Martin suggested that Haydock’s Grade Two Peter Marsh Chase in January could be an option before a race at Kelso where Defintly Red won the Premier Chase last season.

But the owner said a second tilt at the National – the horse was pulled up in 2017 after jockey Danny Cook’s saddle slipped – is not a certainty.

“It will all depend how the horse runs the next time,” added Martin.

“If he’s not enjoying it, we will retire him straight away. He owes us nothing.

“That said, he was showing some of his old sparkle at Newcastle – but it was a real humdinger of a fall. It looks like he was distracted by the loose horse, put in a short one and then didn’t get his landing gear out.”

That race also saw Cook admit that he needed longer to recover from eye and facial injuries suffered in a fall at Market Rasen that saw him kicked in the face by a horse’s hoof and require more than 60 stitches.

Cook, who has won four Grade Two races on Definitly Red, is now seeking further medical guidance after complaining of impaired vision while in the saddle.

Meanwhile Amy Murphy’s stable star Kalashnikov is set to return to Cheltenham for the rescheduled Peterborough Chase.

The seven-year-old, who won his first two career starts at Wetherby under regular rider Jack Quinlan, was not due to contest the Grade Two contest in its original guise at Huntingdon due to his preference for left-handed tracks.

However, with Huntingdon’s fixture abandoned due to flooding, the race was rescheduled and switched to Friday’s card at Cheltenham.

Murphy said: “The Peterborough Chase wasn’t Plan A as usually it’s run right-handed, but now it’s been switched to a left-handed track, he’s very much an intended runner.”

Kalashnikov suffered a broken blood vessel on his final start of last season when fifth behind Altior in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury.

But Murphy was encouraged by his start to the new campaign, when seventh over hurdles at Haydock last month. She added: “We were very happy with the run at Haydock. He’ll have come on plenty for that and there was no bleed, which was the main thing.”

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