Racing

Annie Power set to run in OLBG.com Doncaster Mares Hurdle on Saturday

Trainer Willie Mullins leaning towards sending Rich Ricci’s unbeaten six-year-old to Town Moor for Grade Two contest

Ruby Walsh on Annie Power (right) comes away from the last to win the Dornan Engineering Hurdle Race from Zarkandar at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day. The Willie Mullins-trained mare is set to run in the OLBG.com Doncaster Mares Hurdle. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

Wed Jan 22 2014 - 18:19

Annie Power is set to grace South Yorkshire with her presence as Willie Mullins looks to give her more racecourse experience in the OLBG.com Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle on Saturday.

The six-year-old is likely to be an important member of the champion Irish trainer’s team for the Cheltenham Festival and already holds entries in the Stan James Champion Hurdle and the Ladbrokes World Hurdle as well as being a possible deputy for Quevega in the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle there.

Bearing all possible future plans in mind, the Co Carlow handler is leaning towards sending Rich Ricci’s unbeaten six-year-old to Town Moor for the Grade Two contest over an extended two miles.

At this stage she is still in the BHP Insurance Irish Champion Hurdle, in which Mullins also has Hurricane Fly and the highly-regarded Un De Sceaux. Her two wins this season have been at Ascot and at Cheltenham and at distances around two and a half miles.

'She'll go to Doncaster'
 Saturday's race would be the first time she has tackled two miles since she defeated Defy Logic in a Grade Two novice hurdle at Naas last February. "I think she'll go to Doncaster. It's a nice prize and hopefully will bring her on experience wise as well," said Mullins. "We wouldn't have thought the drop back to two miles would be a problem."

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The race was originally scheduled for 2.40pm, but has moved to 2.05pm, having swapped places with the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. The extra 35 minutes gives Mullins’ stable jockey Ruby Walsh the time to get to Cheltenham to potentially ride Boston Bob in the galliardhomes.com Cleeve Hurdle at 3.35pm against his old partner Big Buck’s.

“We’ve swapped the race times around with the Albert Bartlett as there’s a better chance of her turning up,” said Lucy Rhodes, Doncaster’s media and communications executive. “It’s fantastic that such a great horse like Annie Power is coming over and ticket sales have been gathering momentum since she received an entry. It’s very exciting.”

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