Sport

Mullins has strong team in bid for Ascot glory

RACING NEWS: BRAMPOUR HAS been allotted top weight of 11st 12lb in the The Ladbroke at Ascot on Saturday week.

Thu Dec 08 2011 - 00:00

RACING NEWS:BRAMPOUR HAS been allotted top weight of 11st 12lb in the The Ladbroke at Ascot on Saturday week.

Paul Nicholls’ youngster has already won two valuable handicaps this season but his stablemate Prospect Wells (10st 9lb) heads the market with the sponsors at 6 to 1. Nicholls could also run Sanctuaire (11st 3lb), Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson’s Empire Levant (10st 7lb) and Tonic Mellysse (10st 5lb).

Champion trainer Willie Mullins is also well represented with Final Approach (11st 3lb), Dare To Doubt (11st), Flat Out (10st 13lb), Inspector Clouseau (10st 4lb) and Tawaagg (9st 13lb).

Edward O’Grady could also send over Sailors Warn (10st 11lb), while Dessie Hughes may be represented by Canaly (10st 6lb).

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Donald McCain has given the green light to Desert Cry (10st 10lb) after a conversation with his part-owner, Everton manager David Moyes, to set up a potential clash between two Premiership managers. “Desert Cry has come out of his run at Haydock in good form. I spoke to part-owner David Moyes on Tuesday evening and the plan is to go to Ascot,” said McCain. “I was disappointed with him at Aintree at the end of last season when I thought that he would go close.

“I expected him to run well at Haydock, although I did just think that he would need the run, so there is a possibility that there might be a bit of improvement in him. He has gone up 8lb for that win but there is no point in complaining about it as races like The Ladbroke are where we want to be.”

Philip Hobbs’ impressive Aintree winner Featherbed Lane (10st 11lb), Olofi (10st 3lb) and Rajdhani Express (10st 6lb) are others of note.

The Ladbroke Sponsors bet: 6-1 Prospect Wells, 8-1 Brampour, 10-1 Featherbed Lane, Olofi, Rajdhani Express, 12-1 Abergavenny, Dare To Doubt, Empire Levant, Gibb River, Sailors Warn, Via Galilei, 14-1 A Media Luz, Desert Cry, Final Approach, Sanctuaire, Third Intention, Tonic Mellysse, 16-1 bar.

Andrew Tinkler has suffered a delay in his attempts to recover from a broken hand. The jump jockey, who rides for Nicky Henderson, suffered the injury when falling in a hurdle race at last month’s Newbury Hennessy meeting. He had been booked for a ride at Hereford on Sunday but revealed via his Twitter page: “Had hoped for better news. The complicated fracture of my hand is back in cast for two more weeks. Gutted.”

Hayley Turner has received yet more recognition for her breakthrough season by picking up third prize in the vote for Britain’s sportswoman of the year for 2011 by the Sports Journalists Association.

This summer Turner became the first female jockey to win a Group One race in Britain when landing the July Cup on Dream Ahead, and later repeated the trick aboard Margot Did in the Nunthorpe Stakes.

A few days ago she was named “The Most Inspirational Sportswoman of the Year” at the Jaguar Sports Academy Awards. The winner of this latest prize, which comes from a poll of more than 800 sports writers, was British swimming champion Rebecca Adlington with triathlete Helen Jenkins in second.