Meeting - The Open -
Friday, Saturday & Sunday November 16, 17 & 18
First race - 1.15pm
Friday, 12.45pm Saturday, 1.10pm Sunday - gates open 10am Friday &
Saturday, 11.00am Sunday
Irish raider Moon Dice,
who won the valuable Galway Hurdle in July 2011, is on course for a second
crack at the £100,000 Grade Three Racing Post Hurdle over an extended two miles
at Cheltenham on the third and final day of The Open, Sunday, November 18.
The seven-year-old, trained
by Paul Flynn, finished strongly to take fourth in last year's renewal after
encountering trouble in running.
After finishing down the
field in the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and the
Galway Hurdle, Moon Dice failed to complete at Roscommon in August and on his
chasing debut at Gowran Park on October 6. However, he got off the mark over
fences on his latest start at Cork on October 21, rallying strongly after the
last fence to score by a neck.
Flynn revealed: "Moon
Dice definitely runs in the Racing Post Hurdle, barring any accidents. He is
grand and has come out of his win at Cork in good form.
"We were going to
stick to chasing with him but he seems a much better horse this year so I
wanted to give him a crack at the Racing Post Hurdle before probably going back
chasing.
"He had a few
problems but he seems to have ironed himself out now and seems a lot better
than he was in the summer. He ran well in the Racing Post Hurdle last year
but had a problem after that which we didn't detect - it was some sort of
blood disorder - and it has taken him until now to get right.
"He ran well in the
Racing Post Hurdle last year off a similar mark but I think he is a lot better
than he was then. He was a bit unlucky in running last year and the race
doesn't look any stronger, so I think he has good chance.
"The faster the
ground, the better for him."
The Open kicks off with
Countryside Day on Friday, November 16. A six-race card includes the
£45,000 Paddypower.com Handicap Chase over two miles and the £25,000 Grade Two
Opus Energy Novices' Hurdle over an extended two miles, plus the £25,000
Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeplechase over just short of four miles.
The £160,000 Grade Three
Paddy Power Gold Cup is the highlight of The Open on Saturday, November 17, and
the extended two and half mile handicap chase has been won by some of Jump
racing's biggest names since it's inception in 1960. In 2008 the race was won
by Imperial Commander, who went on to win the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup in
2010.
A terrific card on
Saturday also features the £25,000 Grade Two JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial over an
extended two miles and the £50,000 Grade Three Henrietta Knight Handicap Chase
over just short of three and a half miles.
As well as the £100,000
Grade Three Racing Post Hurdle, Sunday's card also features the £50,000 Shloer
Chase over two miles and the £25,000 Grade Two Neptune Investment Management
Novices' Hurdle over two miles and five furlongs.
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