- TOM
SYMONDS AIMING FOR LISTED GLORY
The April Meeting at
Cheltenham concludes tomorrow (April 18) with a cracking eight-race card in
which three Listed contests for mares take centre stage.
Herefordshire-based
trainer Tom Symonds, a former assistant to Nicky Henderson, is set to have four
runners across the card, with three of those in Listed company.
Valmari is one of eight runners
in the £25,000 Listed European Breeders' Fund/Thoroughbred Breeders'
Association Mares' Novices' Handicap Chase (2.35pm) over two miles and five
furlongs, which was transferred to Cheltenham following the abandonment of
Newbury on March 23. The 10-year-old has been in the winner's enclosure twice
this season, with victories at Uttoxeter and Ludlow, and was still in front
when falling four out in a Grade Two contest at Newbury in November which was
won by the high-class Dynaste.
Symonds said: "On
engine alone, I would expect Valmari to figure highly tomorrow but she does
make the odd jumping error.
"She is a talented
mare when she stands up, as you saw at Newbury - she was leading a good field a
merry dance before deciding to eat the turf.
"She has had a little
break which will help her because she goes well fresh and she seems very well
at home, which is a good sign. It's a big ask but she is an older mare now so
if she can jump round and get a bit of black type, it would help her a lot
going forward in her career as a broodmare."
Also set to line up in the
European Breeders' Fund/Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Mares' Novices'
Handicap Chase are the Harry Fry-trained Violin Davis, successful on her
last four starts, and Irish Grade Three winner Great Oak, who is set to
have her first outing for Welsh trainer Tim Vaughan. Dorset handler Anthony
Honeyball is doubly represented with Marie Des Anges, a winner on her
last two starts and Jackies Solitaire.
Symonds saddles two of the
16 runners in the £20,000 Listed OLBG.com Mares' Handicap Hurdle (3.10pm) over
an extended two miles and five furlongs - Tweedledrum and Scholastica.
Tweedledrum has enjoyed a fine season with three wins, most recently in a
Listed event at Doncaster on March 2, while Scholastica scored at Uttoxeter in
November and picked up some black type when third in a Listed contest at
Haydock Park the following month.
Symonds continued:
"Tweedledrum is very well. She has had a great year and anything she does
is a bonus now.
"The drying ground is
a bit of a concern but she handled it well enough at Haydock when the trip was
too short. I think the track and trip will suit her tomorrow.
"We will ride her out
the back like we normally do and hopefully come through and do them all on the
line. I think the change of tactics is one of the reasons she has improved this
season along with our new gallop and the step up in trip.
"The mares' final at
Newbury was the plan for Scholastica but that was moved to Kempton yesterday,
which is not really like Newbury. Looking at the way the race was run on that
good ground, I didn't think Kempton would suit her.
"Going left handed
over a stiff two miles, five and half furlongs will really suit her and she is
quite unexposed.
"She is very talented
and, touch wood, jumps very well. I have been looking forward to running her in
a handicap and I am very happy with her weight (10st 6lb) tomorrow."
Action gets underway
tomorrow at 2.00pm with the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Mares' Novices'
Hurdle over two miles and a furlong, for which there are eight declared
runners. These include a pair from the stable of champion trainer elect Nicky
Henderson - Ma Filleule, a Grade Two winner at Warwick in February and Springinherstep,
who landed a novices' contest at Huntingdon on April 1 in facile fashion.
Several Cheltenham
regulars line up in the £20,000 Goldsmiths Handicap Chase (3.45pm) over an
extended three miles and a furlong. Weights for the 12-runner contest are
headed by Midnight Chase, a five-time Cheltenham scorer, who enjoyed his
finest hour when successful in the 2012 renewal of the Grade Two Argento Chase
over the same distance. Two progressive younger performers set to line up - Cedre
Bleu for the Paul Nicholls/Ruby Walsh team and What A Warrior for
Nigel Twiston-Davies/Sam Twiston-Davies.
The remaining races on the
card are the Barbury International Horse Trials Handicap Hurdle (4.20pm, 20
declarations), the Sporting Agenda Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Chase (4.55pm,
eight declarations), the Endsleigh Insurance Mares' Standard Open National Hunt
Flat Race (5.25pm, 19 declarations) and the concluding Nicholson Holman
Novices' Limited Handicap Chase (6.00pm, 10 declarations).
The April Meeting gets
underway today, Wednesday, April 17, with a superb seven-race programme.
Cheltenham's season will
conclude on Wednesday, May 1, with the Hunter Chase Evening.
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