Entries for the £100,000 StanJames.com Greatwood Hurdle, run
over an extended two miles on the third and final day of The Open, Sunday,
November 17, are revealed today.
Champion
trainer Nicky Henderson has seven possible representatives among the 45 entered
in the Grade Three handicap hurdle at Cheltenham - the most of any trainer -
headed by last year's runner-up Cash And Go, and the highly-regarded
Michael Buckley-owned pair of Rolling Star and River Maigue. The
Lambourn handler also has French import Blue Fashion, who was fourth in
a Grade One contest at Auteuil in June, Gibb River, progressive course
winner First In The Queue and Makari.
Henderson
reported: "The horse I am most looking forward to in the Greatwood is
Cash And Go. He is in good form and ran a great race to finish second last
year. Things didn't go right for him after that, but I am going to start again
with him this season and see how we go.
"I
would also be interested in Rolling Star and River Maigue because the
Greatwood, like the Paddy Power Gold Cup, tends to suit those second-season
horses. The fact they are unexposed just gives them half a chance against the
older horses.
"Rolling
Star was very impressive first time out last season and went into the Triumph
Hurdle as favourite, but disappointed us. He just petered out at the end of
last season for one reason or another, but is a lovely horse."
Flaxen
Flare is one of 10 entries trained in Ireland and Gordon Elliott's
charge could bid to become the first Irish-trained winner since Sizing Europe
in 2007. He enjoyed an impressive success in the Grade Three Fred Winter
Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at The Festival in March and was a fine second in the
Galway Hurdle in August.
The
four-year-old came home a respectable seventh in a Flat handicap at
Leopardstown on September 7.
Elliott
revealed: "The StanJames.com Greatwood Hurdle is a valuable pot and we
will definitely have a look at it with Flaxen Flare.
"He
runs this weekend in the Grade Two at Down Royal. Obviously, Jezki is running
there too so it will be a tough ask, but it is good prize money and we would be
delighted if he could finish second or third.
"He
ran a very good race to finish second in the Galway Hurdle and we have
freshened him up since his last run at Leopardstown. He might not be as fit as
we would like him to be, but he should run a good race."
Ireland's
champion jump trainer Willie Mullins has four possible starters in the
StanJames.com Greatwood Hurdle, including progressive Galway scorer Call Me
Bubbles and talented six-year-old Midnight Game, while Sabrina Harty
has entered Kalann, who was last seen over hurdles when 10th in the 2012
Stan James Champion Hurdle at The Festival.
Get Me
Out Of Here, trained by Jonjo O'Neill, is the potential top-weight and has run
well at Cheltenham without winning.
The
nine-year-old captured the 2010 Betfair Hurdle at Newbury and went on to finish
second in that season's Supreme Novices' Hurdle at The Festival at Cheltenham.
He has also finished runner-up in two other races at The Festival - the 2011
Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle and 2012 Coral Cup.
O'Neill
said: "The StanJames.com Greatwood Hurdle is an option for Get Me
Out Of Here providing the ground is not too soft.
"He
is a great old horse, but is getting a bit long in the tooth now. We have
thought about going chasing with him in the past, but he doesn't like jumping
fences.
"He
has been a super horse, but he has reached his level now and you have to treat
him a bit like some of those old sprinters - you take your chance and hopefully
one day it comes off."
Paul
Nicholls landed the prestigious handicap hurdle with Brampour (2011) and
Rigmarole (2003) and has five entries this year, led by Far West and Sametegal,
who were second and third to Our Conor in the JCB Triumph Hurdle in March. The
quintet is completed by Caid Du Berlais, Mr Mole and Grade One
runner-up Ptit Zig.
Alan
King has entered Grade One scorers L'Unique and Grumeti, who
finished fourth behind the Evan Williams-trained Court Minstrel in the
Scottish Champion Hurdle on his only appearance last season.
Olofi,
trained by Tom George in Gloucestershire, could bid to become the first dual
winner having won the contest last year, while Harry Fry has entered Karinga
Dancer, who completed a four-timer in facile fashion at Aintree on October
26.
David
Pipe's four possible runners include Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle fifth Tanerko
Emery and Betfair Hurdle third Swing Bowler, while Cotton Mill
headlines a quartet trained by John Ferguson.
Other
notable contenders include the John Quinn-trained pair of Calculated Risk
and Kashmir Peak, a Grade Two winner at Doncaster last term.
Weights
for the StanJames.com Greatwood Hurdle will be revealed on Wednesday, November
6 and the maximum field size is 24.
The
StanJames.com Greatwood Hurdle
Class
1, Grade 3, £100,000 Total Prize Fund. 3.15pm, Cheltenham, Sunday,
November 17, 2013. For 4yo+, two miles about half a furlong. Entries closed,
October 29, entries revealed October 31 (45 entries), weights revealed November
6. Penalties: after November 3, a winner of a hurdle race 5lb (no penalty to
increase a horse's weight above 11st 12lb). Six-day confirmation stage November
11, final 48-hour declaration stage 10.00am, November 15. Form figures supplied
by Weatherbys and are correct up to and including the racing of Monday, October
28.
Form
Horse Age Owner Trainer
3121-41
AHYAKNOWYERSELF (IRE) 7 G Carstairs & R Marker Dr Richard Newland
5141-4 BLUE
FASHION (IRE) 4 John & Barbara Cotton Nicky Henderson
122202-
CAID DU BERLAIS (FR) 4 Donlon, Doyle, MacDonald & C Barber Paul
Nicholls
153116-
CALCULATED RISK 4 Terry Warner John Quinn
015-112
CALL ME BUBBLES (FR) 4 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE
15/2U00-
CASH AND GO (IRE) 6 Robin Geffen Nicky Henderson
1U3/2F0-
COTTON MILL 6 Bloomfields John Ferguson
4/13411-
COURT MINSTREL (IRE) 6 Janet Davies Evan Williams
212
DELL' ARCA (IRE) 4 Prof Caroline Tisdall David Pipe
022642 ENCHANTED
FOREST (IRE) 5 Francis Campbell Michael Hourigan IRE
3/11112-
FAR WEST (FR) 4 Axom XXXIX Paul Nicholls
123311 FIRST
IN THE QUEUE (IRE) 6 Liam Breslin Nicky Henderson
2514-21
FLAXEN FLARE (IRE) 4 Mrs Pat Sloan Gordon Elliott IRE
2P2-34 GASSIN
GOLF 4 Will Roseff Richard Lee
1/14PP0-
GET ME OUT OF HERE (IRE) 9 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill
0/30231/-
GIBB RIVER (IRE) 7 Corbett Stud Nicky Henderson
F1131/4-
GRUMETI 5 McNeill Family Alan King
1010F-3
IFANDBUTWHYNOT (IRE) 7 Claire Hollowood & Henry Dean David O'Meara
312520/-
KALANN (IRE) 6 K McConnell Sabrina Harty IRE
2/0(1)11-1
KARINGA DANCER 7 H B Geddes Harry Fry
11U0-
KASHMIR PEAK (IRE) 4 Win Only SP Only Partnership John Quinn
140/003-
KAZLIAN (FR) 5 Twelve Pipers Piping Johnny Farrelly
41131- L'UNIQUE
(FR) 4 Denis Barry Alan King
32111/B-
LEXI'S BOY (IRE) 5 Tim Leslie Donald McCain
112132 LIFE
AND SOUL (IRE) 6 Matthew Taylor Donald McCain
6/126-11
MAKARI 6 Matt & Lauren Morgan Nicky Henderson
2P6-402
MIDNIGHT GAME 6 Gigginstown House Stud Willie Mullins IRE
121P3-2
MR MOLE (IRE) 5 J P McManus Paul Nicholls
50/100-U
OLOFI (FR) 7 McNeill Family Tom George
0/3052/-U
ORZARE (IRE) 7 Bryan Fry Philip Hide
3115-
PINE CREEK 5 Bloomfields John Ferguson
24131-2
PTIT ZIG (FR) 4 Barry Fulton, Chris Giles & Richard Webb Paul
Nicholls
U02-P31
RATTAN (USA) 8 J A Coleman Willie Mullins IRE
20-2110
RAWNAQ (IRE) 6 Kevin John Smith Matthew Smith IRE
300/3-30
REDERA (IRE) 7 Peter William Partnership Tony Martin IRE
31/2120-
RIVER MAIGUE (IRE) 6 Michael Buckley Nicky Henderson
1165-
ROLLING STAR (FR) 4 Michael Buckley & The Vestey Family Nicky
Henderson
11306-0
RUACANA 4 Bloomfields John Ferguson
21332-1
SAMETEGAL (FR) 4 John & Barbara Cotton Paul Nicholls
2/01110-
SHOTAVODKA (IRE) 7 Jane Gerard-Pearse David Pipe
111/130-
SWING BOWLER 6 Exors of the late David Johnson David Pipe
211325-
TANERKO EMERY (FR) 7 Walters Plant Hire Ltd Egan Waste Ltd David Pipe
P020U-0
THOMAS EDISON (IRE) 6 J P McManus Tony Martin IRE
61-1262
UN BEAU ROMAN (FR) 5 Aiden Devaney Willie Mullins IRE
213-
ZUIDER ZEE (GER) 6 Bloomfields John Ferguson
45 entries
10
Irish-trained
About
The Open
The
Open is a prestigious and historic three-day meeting at Cheltenham Racecourse,
which signals that the new Jump season is in full swing. There is record prize
money of £743,000 in 2013, with the feature Paddy Power Gold Cup worth
£160,000.
Staged
on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 15, 16 & 17. The Open is the
second highest-profile meeting at the home of Jump racing, following The
Festival in March and a huge event in its own right.
The
Open provides thrilling competition between many of the best Jump horses in
Europe, with crowds of around 70,000 over the three days.
It is
regarded by many as the biggest and most important meeting of the first half of
the Jump season - a weekend of entertainment, sport and fun not to be missed,
including many trade stands in The Open shopping village.
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