Overturn can expect tough Simonsig test

ALL eyes will be on Simonsig as the electric grey gets the chance to live up to his tall reputation in the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy.

A Festival winner last year, Nicky Henderson’s seven-year-old won his two races over fences at Ascot and Kempton by an aggregate margin of 84 lengths.

Yet there would be no more popular winner than Donald McCain’s nine-year-old Overturn, who will set a blistering pace under Jason Maguire.

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Overturn, the most popular horse in racing, was a £75,000 purchase from Doncaster Sales who has excelled on the Flat, winning a Chester Cup and Northumberland Plate, before finishing second in last year’s Champion Hurdle.

This battle-hardened horse has run 40 times and been ridden by 14 different jockeys. Overturn’s 14 career victories, and 16 places, have helped amass prize money in excess of £700,000, though today’s soft ground will not play to his strengths.

“Enthusiastic is the first word I’d use to describe him,” said McCain whose late father Ginger trained Red Rum to win three Grand Nationals.

“Every single day he comes out of his box wanting to get on with life and his job, and he just makes you smile. The only time I’ve seen him shattered was after the Champion Hurdle last year, but he came out the next morning wanting to go again.

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“At the races, he’s just glad to be there. He can’t get enough of his job. He has been on the go since he was a yearling and we keep expecting him to cry enough at some point, but he just thrives on it all.

“He has such a step to him he almost goose-steps to the gallops. He knows what he wants to do and goes out every day and does it, then spends the afternoon in one of the pens relaxing. He’s so energetic in his work he’s happy to just let himself switch off and gaze into the distance.

“The thought of asking him to jump fences was quite frightening and we did quite a lot of soul-searching, almost looking for reasons not to. But the first day he schooled he did at home what he does at the track. He was just brilliant.”

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