Wayward Prince is likely to return to
his beloved Wetherby for the £40,000 William Hill Rowland Meyrick Handicap
Chase over three miles and a furlong, the highlight of the two-day William Hill
Yorkshire Winter Festival on Boxing Day, Thursday, December 26.
Hilary Parrott's charge
has made the frame in all four of his visits to the Yorkshire track and secured
his biggest success over fences when capturing the Grade Two Towton Novices'
Chase in February, 2011.
The nine-year-old has
filled the runner-up spot in last two renewals of the £100,000 bet365 Charlie
Hall Chase and came fourth in the 2011 Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase.
His latest outing at
Wetherby saw Wayward Prince come within a neck of victory in the Grade Two
bet365 Charlie Hall Chase on November 2, when just beaten by Harry Topper, with
Unioniste, Benefficient and Long Run behind him.
He was pulled up on his
most recent start in a Listed chase at Aintree on December 7, which he won last
year, having sprawled on landing at the first fence.
Parrott, who trains in
Gloucestershire, revealed: "If Wayward Prince is all right after his funny
experience at Aintree, he will go for the William Hill Rowland Meyrick Handicap
Chase.
"He did the splits
after jumping into the back of a horse at Aintree and was a bit sore in his
back afterwards, but we have had him treated and he appears to be OK.
"I will work him this
week and if that goes well, I will take him to Wetherby on Boxing Day.
"I was gutted at
Aintree because it was an encouraging run at Wetherby before that, but that's
racing I suppose.
"He likes good
ground. It was beautiful ground when he was second in the Charlie Hall, so
let's hope it's like that again."
The William Hill Rowland
Meyrick Handicap Chase boasts a tremendous roll of honour, featuring the
subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Forgive 'N Forget (1984) and The Thinker
(1986).
The last two renewals have
gone to horses from the yard of Malton handler Malcolm Jefferson, with
According To Pete winning in 2011 and Cape Tribulation triumphant 12 months
ago.
A six-race programme at
Wetherby on Boxing Day gets underway at 12.45pm and runs through to 3.25pm,
with all the races sponsored for the first time by William Hill.
The same sponsor also
backs all six races on Friday, December 27, when the highlight is the £20,000
William Hill Castleford Handicap Chase over two miles.
Entries for the William
Hill Yorkshire Winter Festival close on Friday, December 20 and Saturday,
December 21.
Gates open at 10.00am on
both days of the William Hill Yorkshire Winter Festival, with complimentary
mince pies and mulled wine on offer for the early arrivals. Tickets can be
purchased online at www.wetherbyracing.co.uk. There is free entry for
accompanied children aged 17 and under.
Eight-time course winner
and local favourite Mister McGoldrick will be in attendance on Boxing Day as
part of a display from New Beginnings, the Yorkshire-based enterprise that
provides a safe, secure and supportive environment for retired racehorses.
The William Hill Yorkshire
Winter Festival at Wetherby forms part of the wider Go Racing In Yorkshire
Winter Festival, which continues at Catterick on Saturday, December 28 and
Doncaster on Sunday, December 29. This four-day jumping extravaganza takes
place for the first time in 2013 and follows on from the Go Racing In Yorkshire
Summer Festival which has been held very successfully for the past six years.
A racecard competition
with the prize of a two-night stay in the Crown Hotel at Bawtry will run during
the Go Racing In Yorkshire Winter Festival, while the most successful trainer
and jockey over the four days will each win an overnight stay at the Raithwaite
Estate, the luxury country retreat situated close to Whitby on the North
Yorkshire coast.
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