Andrew Parker's stable
star Merigo is on course for a tilt at the £40,000 Betfair. Don't Settle
For Less Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase (1.45pm) at Wetherby on Boxing Day,
Wednesday, December 26, the first day of the Welcome To Yorkshire Christmas
Meeting.
The popular 11-year-old
captured the Scottish Grand National for a second time in April when denying Auroras
Encore in the shadow of the post. He also won the four-mile marathon at Ayr
impressively in 2010 and filled the runner-up spot behind Beshabar in 2011.
He has been well beaten in
two starts this year, coming home fifth at Kelso on his reappearance on
November 10 and ninth at Haydock later the same month.
Parker said: "Merigo
goes to Wetherby for the Betfair. Don't Settle For Less Rowland Meyrick Handicap
Chase. He has been fine since his run at Haydock and you look at his form and
you can see he always takes a long time to come to hand.
"We have to keep
trying though and we will go to Wetherby and see how he gets on but, as we all
know, he is always better after Christmas.
"He is a funny horse
because some days it looks as if he doesn't like soft ground but then he goes
and wins on heavy.
"The Scottish Grand
National is the big target again with him because three of his last four wins
have come over four miles. He is not quick and the race he won over three miles
last year was more in his comfort zone than the Rowland Meyrick will be but we
have to try because they don't make any money sitting at home in the stable.
"It's fairytale stuff
for a Scottish-trained horse to go and win the Scottish Grand National twice
and he doesn't owe anybody anything. He enjoys his racing and isn't one of
these 11 or 12-year-olds running with cheekpieces or blinkers on because he
still loves it."
The other entries include Helpston
and Midnight Chase, who finished second and third respectively in
the race 12 months ago. Local Bingley-based handler Sue Smith has two possible
starters in Mr Moonshine and Auroras Encore, while Fergal O'Brien has
made an entry for the progressive Alvarado, who was successful at
Wetherby in the Bobby Renton Handicap Chase on October 17.
The Betfair. Don't Settle
For Less Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase, run over three miles and a furlong,
was first staged in 1957 and boasts an excellent roll of honour with subsequent
Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Forgive 'N Forget (1984) and The Thinker (1986)
among the winners.
Yahoo, who chased home
Desert Orchid in the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup, scored in 1987, while the Ferdy
Murphy-trained Truckers Tavern, second to Best Mate in the 2003 Cheltenham Gold
Cup, took the spoils in 2004.
An exciting six-race card
on Boxing Day gets underway at 12.35pm and also features the £10,000 Read
Donald McCain's Column On Betfair Handicap Chase (2.55pm, 25 entries) over an
extended two and a half miles.
The £16,000 Castleford
Handicap Chase (2.20pm) over two miles is the highlight on Thursday, December
27, the second and final day of the Welcome To Yorkshire Christmas Meeting.
Gates open at 10am on both days.
There will be a real
Christmas atmosphere on both days of the Welcome To Yorkshire Christmas Meeting
at Wetherby with mulled wine and mince pies on offer for the early birds, as
well as live music from LA Jazz Band and Endeavour Ceilidh Band.
Racegoers will also have
the opportunity to interact with reindeer on both days courtesy of Rigmore
Reindeer & Co, while, 12 months on from his 'official' retirement, Mister
McGoldrick will return to his beloved Wetherby, where he won eight races during
a glittering career, thanks to locally-based racehorse retraining centre New
Beginnings.
GOING
The going at Wetherby
remains HEAVY, SOFT IN PLACES
Temperatures of +6/7C are
expected for the next seven days.
There was 36mm rain
between Wednesday night and this (Friday) morning.
Today's forecast is for a
dry day before further rain on Saturday, putting down up to 15mm. The forecast
is for dry and sunny days thereafter.
Jonjo Sanderson, Chief
Executive and Clerk of the Course at Wetherby, said today:
"Understandably, following more heavy rainfall during the last 36 hours,
many will be wondering what the prospects are for the Welcome to Yorkshire
Christmas Meeting taking place on December 26 and 27.
"Following 36mm of
rainfall between 6.00pm on Wednesday and the early hours of this morning, the
back straight adjacent to York Road, has flooded as a result of the dykes and
becks that carry our storm water from the racecourse to the River Nidd backing
up, which is as a consequence of the current height of the river itself. Put
simply, the water has nowhere to go.
"The current weather
forecast is for a dry day today (Friday) before a further band of heavy rain
arrives on Saturday. Thereafter, the forecast from Sunday onwards is for dry
and sunny days, which will hopefully allow the river level to drop and the
excess water to drain off the course and into the dykes.
"So far as racing on
Wednesday and Thursday go, it will be a question of waiting to see if the water
can subside quickly enough. At this stage, we do not envisage any decisions
being taken on whether to abandon racing or not, until the morning of the race
meeting on Wednesday, December 26.
"We will try
everything in our powers to ensure that racing takes place on both days of the
Welcome to Yorkshire Christmas Meeting and your patience and understanding at
this time is much appreciated.
"A further update
will be posted on the website on Sunday."
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