Rain softens up Pipe as duo set for Charlie Hall Chase

The two horses have alternative entries – Dynaste in the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal and Ballynagour in the bet365 West Yorkshire Hurdle on the same Wetherby card – but they are likely to clash in the big chase over three miles.

Both horses were last seen in action in Auteuil. Dynaste was unplaced over hurdles earlier this month in his first start since January, while Ballynagour was fifth to stablemate Un Temps Pour Tout in the French Champion Hurdle in June.

Pipe reports both horses to be ready to return to the fray, with Conor O’Farrell getting the mount on Dynaste with Tom Scudamore sidelined through injury.

“Dynaste and Ballynagour will run in the Charlie Hall, ground permitting,” said the Westcountry handler. “Dynaste came out of France fine and Ballynagour seems in good form as well.”

Both horses recorded career-best performances on March 13, 2014, when Dynaste won the Grade One Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival less than 90 minutes before Ballynagour ran away with the Byrne Plate.

Pipe said earlier in the week that he was reluctant to run the horses at Wetherby unless there was significant rain at the West Yorkshire track prior to the £100,000 race.

However, 12mm of precipitation fell yesterday, prompting clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson to adjust the going to “good, good to soft in places”.

With more showers forecast, he expects conditions to ease still further before the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Paul Nicholls-trained Rocky Creek is set to swerve the Charlie Hall in favour of the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday.

Furthermore a decision on the participation of Alderbrook Lad – the solitary Yorkshire entry – will be made this morning.

The nine-year-old holds an entry in tomorrow’s handicap chase at Wetherby and trainer Micky Hammond wants to assess ground conditions – 
he says he would have preferred it not to rain so heavily yesterday.

The Middleham trainer also reports stable star Just Cameron, second in a Grade One race at the Punchestown Festival, to be “coming to hand” and that a decision will be made on his comeback race “in about a fortnight”.

“We’re looking forward to getting him back on the track. He will be out sometime in November,” Hammond told The Yorkshire Post.

York is one of 12 tracks to have been given gold standard accreditation by the Racehorse Owners Association. Market Rasen and Haydock also feature on the list.