RACING NEWS:WITH SOLWHIT and Go Native firmly at the forefront of the Champion Hurdle contenders, the focus this weekend will switch to Big Zeb's attempt to rehabilitate his Champion Chase credentials.
The Colm Murphy-trained star is set to take part in the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown on Sunday and it looks like providing a good opportunity for Big Zeb to regain winning form.
Ireland’s other main Champion Chase contender, Forpadydeplasterer, was yesterday ruled out of the Tied Cottage by his Co Kerry-based trainer Tom Cooper who is instead considering going to Cheltenham without a prep’.
“He is not ready for a run having been held up for a week at Christmas and missing some work due to the freeze,” Cooper said yesterday. “It’s possible he might not run before Cheltenham and we might give him a racecourse gallop instead.”
Murphy, however, is keen to give Big Zeb a spin following his lacklustre fourth to Twist Magic in last month’s Tingle Creek at Sandown. “Touch wood, he’s fine, we’re happy with him and he’s entered for Sunday. Fingers crossed, he’ll be there,” he said yesterday.
“We backed off him for a couple of weeks after Sandown but got stuck into him again after Christmas. Hopefully all will go well on Sunday.”
Sizing Europe remains a 14 to 1 shot in some ante-post lists for the Champion Chase but his in-form trainer, Henry De Bromhead, insists the Arkle remains his number one target.
De Bromhead landed the Irish Arkle with An Cathaior Mor at the weekend but ground conditions could yet mean Sizing Europe will have the Cheltenham Arkle all to himself. “We have freshened Sizing Europe up since Christmas and he is looking really well in himself as a result. With the way he is looking at the moment, I can’t wait for Cheltenham and everything is all set for it now,” De Bromhead said. “An Cathaoir Mor will have an entry in the Arkle too but he loves bottomless ground and that is rare in March,” he added.
Sunday’s Arkle at Leopardstown also provided Captain Cee Bee with a major form boost and Eddie Harty’s horse has been backed into 4 to 1 favourite to add this year’s Arkle to his 2008 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle success.
Captain Cee Bee had An Cathaoir Mor well behind him at Naas last month and Harty said: “I suppose the bookmakers are entitled to shorten him really. My fella is in great form. He’s in at Naas on Saturday week and as long as it is not bottomless, he’ll go there. As long as it is constructive to go, he’ll go, but if it is detrimental he won’t.”
Zaarito faces a spell of schooling after his fall in Sunday’s Arkle but no decision has been taken on whether he tries Grade One company again in Sunday week’s Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase or drops to a winners of one.
Charles Byrnes and Davy Russell were naturally delighted with Solwhit’s Toshiba Irish Champion Hurdle success on Sunday but it also put a smile on the face of Noel Meade whose Donnas Palm finished runner-up, thus boosting the form claims of his stable companion Go Native.
A million pound bonus lies in wait for Go Native if he wins at Cheltenham after victories at Kempton over Christmas and at Newcastle in November when he beat Solwhit.
“I was very pleased with Donnas on Sunday but I’ve got a better idea of where we stand now,” Meade said yesterday.
“Everything is going great with Go Native. We are just beginning to step up his workload again now. We might take him to Leopardstown on February 28th after racing and leave it at that,” he added.
