Gary Moore is looking forward to seeing talented chasers Well Refreshed and Vino Griego make
their seasonal returns at Cheltenham on Day Two of The Showcase, Saturday,
October 19.
Exciting
second season chaser Well Refreshed is due to line up in the £50,000 Showcase
Trophy (3.45pm) over an extended three miles. The nine-year-old rattled off a
hat-trick of handicap chase wins last term, culminating with a 10-length
success in the Betfred Grand National National Trial at Haydock Park in
February.
He was
pulled up on his final start of the campaign in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown
Park at the end of April.
Vino
Griego, who is on course for the two and a half-mile £50,000 Equus-Fine Dining
At The Festival Handicap Chase (2.35pm), also enjoyed a highly productive
campaign over fences last season.
The
eight-year-old took the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase by 19 lengths on
Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham in January and followed up with victory in a
Listed handicap chase at Ascot the following month.
He ran
another excellent race at the Home of Jump Racing when chasing home Carrickboy
in the Byrne Group Plate at The Festival before ending his campaign when fifth
in the Grade Two Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree's Grand National meeting.
Moore,
who trains in West Sussex, revealed today: "Well Refreshed and Vino Griego
are intended runners at Cheltenham - the only reason why they wouldn't run
would be if the ground was quicker than good.
"Well
Refreshed appears to be fine after Sandown - he was just exhausted - and we
want to give him a prep-run before the Hennessy Gold Cup. He was only a novice
last season and we hope that he can improve over fences this season.
"I
think that two and a half miles suits Vino Griego well and I need to get a run
into him before the Paddy Power Gold Cup (at The Open on November 16) next
month.
"He
ran two very good races at Cheltenham last season and his second in the Byrne
Group Plate was a fantastic performance."
A total
of 22 entries for the Showcase Trophy also includes Festival winner Balthazar King, who
has won the two previous renewals of the handicap chase, and last season's
Welsh National hero Monbeg
Dude.
The
Equus-Fine Dining At The Festival Handicap Chase has also attracted 22 entries
including Tingle Creek Chase second Kumbeshwar,
the 2011 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual victor Oiseau de Nuit and French import Vif Argent.
Day Two
of The Showcase also features the £30,000 Masterson Holdings Hurdle
(3.10pm) over an extended two miles, which has nine entries headed by JCB
Triumph Hurdle third and Scottish Champion Hurdle runner-up Sametegal, trained
by Paul Nichollsand Listowel handicap hurdle scorer Bayan, from Gordon
Elliott's Co Meath yard.
Cheltenham's October meeting was renamed The Showcase in 2007 and moved to its present Friday/Saturday slot. The popular two-day meeting, takes place on October 18 and 19, offering record prize money of £288,000 (up from £275,000 last year). The Showcase is a natural starting point for horses returning from their summer breaks and is often used in preparation for The Open (Friday, November 15 - Sunday, November 17 inclusive) at Cheltenham. Saturday's card is headlined by two £50,000 handicap chases - the Equus-Fine Dining At Festival Handicap Chase (2.35pm), which takes place over a similar distance as the Grade Three Paddy Power Gold Cup at The Open, plus the Showcase Trophy Handicap Chase (3.45pm), run over an extended three miles.
The Showcase gives racegoers the chance to go behind the scenes and find about more about Cheltenham and Jump Racing. There will be guided tours of the Parade Ring and Weighing Room before racing, as well as various activities and displays in Hurdlers' Hall.
The gates open at noon on both days. The first race is at 2.10pm on Friday and 2.00pm on Saturday. Please find more details at www.cheltenham.co.uk and through Twitter (@CheltenhamRaces) and Facebook www.facebook.com/thehomeofjumpracing
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