TIME FOR
RUPERT AIMING TO GO ONE BETTER IN WETHERBY'S RACE OF THE SEASON
A total of 14 entries have
been received today for the highlight of the season at Wetherby, the £100,000
Grade Two Charlie Hall Chase (3.25pm), which takes place at the West Yorkshire
course this Saturday, November 3.
Weird Al landed the three mile, one
furlong chase in 2011 and could bid to become the first back-to-back winner of
the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase since See More Business in 1999 and 2000.
Time For Rupert finished second to Weird
Al last season and the eight-year-old could attempt to go one better on
Saturday. The Paul Webber-trained chaser rounded off last season with an
excellent fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, beaten nine and a half lengths.
Webber revealed today:
"Time For Rupert has been entered in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase and
also at Ascot, so I think we will need to take a little bit of time to look at
the entries and see what's what.
"I think Wetherby
would be the preference, having run well around there before but it will be a
day or two before we really know. We certainly intend to run him this weekend
and he seems in very good form.
"He has done very
well over the summer - he is a little bit stronger and heavier - and he has
done plenty of work so we are looking forward to the weekend.
"Last year was very
much about getting his confidence back having bled in the RSA Chase the year
before and I think we did that.
"There aren't many
bigger races than the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase as it's a Grade Two worth
£100,000. The Hennessy is not worth much more and obviously we will consider
that, but we lets see what happens on Saturday."
Champion trainer Paul
Nicholls has entered Silviniaco Conti, a dual Grade Two winner last
season, while Nicky Henderson could be represented by Master Of The Hall and
Roberto Goldback.
Welsh handler Evan
Williams, who has landed two of the past four renewals of the bet365 Charlie
Hall Chase with State Of Play (2008) and Deep Purple (2009) could this rely on Cappa
Bleu, who was last seen out when a close fourth in the John Smith's Grand
National at Aintree in April.
There is a potential Irish
challenger in the shape of the Mouse Morris-trained First Lieutenant,
second in the Grade One RSA Chase at last season's Cheltenham Festival.
Other leading contenders
include Cheltenham specialist Midnight Chase, last season's Hennessy
Gold Cold Cup runner-up Planet Of Sound, the 2010 Hennessy Gold Cup
winner Diamond Harry and Wayward Prince, who won over the course
and distance when taking the Grade Two Towton Novices' Chase in 2011. Local
Bingley handler Sue Smith has entered Mr Moonshine while the remaining
entries are Cannington Brook and Garleton.
bet365 spokesman Pat
Cooney said: "It's good to see so many familiar names in our big race this
Saturday but we feel it may be time for a new name to be the main attraction
for punters as we've made Paul Nicholls' exciting six-year-old Silviniaco Conti
our 3/1 favourite.
"He was an impressive
winner of the Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree in April and what he may lack
in experience he more than makes up for in potential improvement this season.
"Last year's
winner Weird Al is our second choice at 5/1, but this looks a really
competitive renewal, and we're happy to offer our customers the enhanced
each-way terms of a quarter the odds - 1, 2, 3 - on our race."
bet365 Charlie Hall Chase,
bet365 bet: 3/1 Silviniaco Conti; 5/1 Weird Al; 6/1 Time For Rupert , First
Lieutenant; 8/1 Midnight Chase , Planet of Sound; 12/1 Diamond Harry, Master Of
The Hall; 14/1 Roberto Goldback; 20/1 Cappa Bleu; 33/1 Cannington Brook, Mr
Moonshine, Wayward Prince; 40/1 Garleton
Enhanced each-way terms of
1/4 the odds - 1, 2, 3
An exciting seven-race
card at Wetherby on bet365 Charlie Hall Chase Day begins at 12.35pm and also
includes the £32,000 Grade John Smith's Hurdle (2.50pm) over three miles and a
furlong for which 11 entries were received today. The entries include Cape
Tribulation, a winner at the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals last season
for Malcolm Jefferson and the talented Tidal Bay, successful in the
bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown on the final day of last season. Also featuring on
the card is the £20,000 OLBG.com Mares' Hurdle (2.15pm), which has attracted 11
entries.
Former Wetherby specialist
Mister McGoldrick, an eight-time winner at the course, will be in attendance on
Saturday as part of an initiative by New Beginnings, a Yorkshire-based
enterprise that seek to provide a safe, secure and supportive environment for
former racehorses. On Saturday, there is a free shuttle bus service between
Wetherby Bus Station and the racecourse starting at 11.00 a.m. and then
operating every 20 minutes and up to an hour after the conclusion of racing.
The two-day bet365 Charlie
Hall Meeting at the West Yorkshire course gets underway with a six-race card on
Friday, November 2, headlined by the £23,500 Listed bet365 Handicap Chase
(2.00pm, 26 entries) over an extended two and a half miles and the £15,000
Listed Weatherbys Hamilton Insurance Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle over an
extended two miles (2.35pm, 13 entries). The first race is due off at 1.00pm.
GOING
The going at Wetherby is
currently Good to Soft (6.6)
Wetherby's Chief Executive
and Clerk of the Course, Jonjo Sanderson, reported: "We had a minimal
amount of rain over the weekend, with 3.5mm coming early on Sunday morning,
which followed some unexpected wintry snow flurries during Friday night.
"Monday has been
overcast all day, and we've had a couple of sharp rain showers that have put
down just over 1mm rain. There are further sporadic rain showers forecast
throughout the week, so I cannot see the going materially altering from what it
currently is between now and racing on Friday.
"This weekend is not
only a major highlight of our season, but the National Hunt racing season
generally, and we are absolutely delighted with the entries that the bet365
Charlie Hall Steeplechase has once again received and if the majority of the
expected runners stand their ground, it is shaping up to be another competitive
renewal of this great race.
"The supporting races
on Saturday have also attracted some quality entries and, once again, both days
of the bet365 Charlie Hall Meeting look like being two very competitive days
racing."
Time For Rupert finished second to Weird Al last season and the eight-year-old could attempt to go one better on Saturday.
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