RACING NEWS ROUND-UP:BIG BUCK'S will not be seen on the track again until he bids for a third consecutive Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Trainer Paul Nicholls had considered slotting in another start at Prestbury Park after he took his winning sequence over timber to 10 following another laughably easy success in the rearranged Long Walk at Newbury.
However, Nicholls said: “I have had a discussion with (owner) Andy Stewart this morning and we have decided that Big Buck’s will sidestep the Cleeve Hurdle and go straight to the Cheltenham Festival.
“Taking in the Cleeve Hurdle was our original plan. But he will be given a break instead and his campaign will now mirror last season’s, with the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals as his next targets.”
Rubi Light will have an ambitious entry in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham after a valid excuse emerged for his poor run at Limerick. Robbie Hennessy’s six-year-old had won his first two races this season in the style of a rapidly improving animal and despite carrying top weight in a valuable contest on his next start, Hennessy expected him to win.
However, he faded tamely with half a mile to run and it later transpired he had a lung infection. “We had him scoped when he came back and he has an infection on his lungs, a few of the others scoped dirty, too, I think it’s the weather,” said Hennessy.
“He’s on medication and he should be all right in about a week or two. He’s rated 143 now so we’ll have to pop him into Listed company or maybe open handicaps.
“I’m going to give him an entry in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham. It’s an early-closer so we’ll enter him and see how he progresses. I thought he would have won the other day and then I could have been more positive about running him at Cheltenham but it’s on the back-burner at the moment.”
The small yard of Leonard Whitmore is hoping to land another big handicap hurdle this weekend when Casey Top lines up in the MCR Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.
Whitmore won the Ballymore 25th Anniversary Hurdle, worth over €100,000, with Brave Right at the 2008 Punchestown Festival.
Now he has his eyes set on the race formerly run as the Pierse with the eight-year-old, who was in good heart in the summer.
“He’s going to run in the MCR Hurdle and he’s had a little bit of a break to freshen him up for his first time back as he was campaigned all summer running four or five times,” said Whitmore.
“This race has sort of been the plan because we thought that we would start back over two miles and it is a good prize. He runs well fresh and he ran a good race at Punchestown at the start of last year. I wouldn’t say that a bit of cut is important to him – he just wouldn’t want it heavy but I’m fairly sure that it won’t be.
“The trip might be a bit short for him which would be my concern as he would be better at two and a half miles, but it’s a good old pot and we’ll take our chance.
“I’m hoping for the best and he would have every chance, you’d hope.”
MCR Hurdle(Paddy Power bet): 5-1 Prima Vista, 8-1 New Phase, Tijuana Dancer, 12-1 Call The Police, Final Approach, 14-1 Asigh Pearl, Montan, Prince Of Fire, 16-1 Alpine Eagle, Capellanus, Doctor Deejay, Lancetto, Slieveardagh, 20-1 Casey Top, Marlay Park, Mubrook, Mutadarek, Un Hinged, Whodoyouthink, 25-1 bar.
