Why Bristol De Mai won’t be heading to Wetherby on Boxing Day

THE great grey Bristol De Mai is to swerve a Christmas date at Wetherby after sealing his third Betfair Chase success.

Having claimed Betfair Chase glory in 2017 and 2018, the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained horse won Haydock’s Grade One contest for a third time on Saturday.

It leaves Daryl Jacob’s mount just one short of Kauto Star’s record-breaking four wins in Haydock’s celebrated chase.

Twiston-Davies did not make the trip to Haydock, but saidyesterday morning: “He’s come out of the race 100 per cent, no bother at all.

“I was very pleased and delighted with him.”

With connections deciding against entering for the King George VI Chase at Kempton, Anthony Bromley, racing manager to owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, raised Wetherby’s Rowland Meyrick Chase as a possible Boxing Day alternative.

However, Twiston-Davies confirmed he will go straight for the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham at the end of January before either returning to Prestbury Park for the Gold Cup or heading to Aintree for the Grand National.

“We won’t run him over Christmas – he’ll go for the Cotswold Chase at the end of January. He won’t go for the Rowland Meyrick,” said the trainer.

“We’ll see how he goes in the Cotswold Chase.

“If he does really well he might go for the Gold Cup, otherwise he’ll go straight to the National. He looks as good as ever.”

Meanwhile Goshen is set to make his seasonal debut over jumps in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham next month after being taken out of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

Trainer Gary Moore has decided to wait for the Grade Two contest on December 12 rather than go to Newcastle.

It means Goshen will return to Cheltenham, the scene of his dramatic final-flight exit in the Triumph Hurdle in March.

“Everything’s fine. There’s nothing wrong,” said Moore. “Hopefully we’ll see him in the International. We’ve decided to wait for that. I’m very happy with him so far.”

Goshen has had two runs on the Flat this autumn, but has since been a late withdrawal from the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton due to a combination of a bad scope and unsuitable ground, while the four-year-old was not declared for the Coral Hurdle at Ascot at the weekend.

This means Champion Hurdle heroine Epatante, owned by JP McManus, will face a maximum of nine rivals in the Betfair Fighting Fifth at Newcastle on Saturday.

She will be the hot favourite to make a successful return to action in a race that Nicky Henderson has won five times in all, including twice in the last three years with Buveur D’Air.

The champion trainer has also left in Marie’s Rock, although she is expected to take up an alternative engagement in the Ladbrokes Gerry Feilden Intermediate Handicap Hurdle at Newbury on the same afternoon.

Cornerstone Lad, who inflicted a shock defeat on Buveur D’Air in last year’s Fighting Fifth, is set to defend his crown for Middleham trainer Micky Hammond following a recent Flat success at Redcar.

Silver Streak was third behind Cornerstone Lad and Buveur D’Air 12 months ago, and his trainer Evan Williams will be hoping for a sound surface on his return to Gosforth Park this weekend.

Ben Haslam’s Solo Saxophone is a second Yorkshire contender in Newcastle’s most prestigious National Hunt race of the year.

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