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Sky Bet Chase 2010 |
Sky Bet Chase Has 36 Acceptors
26/01/10
Gone To Lunch is among 36 acceptors at the five-day stage for what promises to be a fantastic renewal of the £90,000 Sky Bet Chase (3.25pm) at Doncaster on Saturday, January 30.
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The Jeremy Scott-trained 10-year-old will make the long trip from the edge of Exmoor to South Yorkshire for the historic three-mile handicap chase ahead of a return to Ayr for the Scottish Grand National in April, a race in which the classy stayer was a close runner-up last term.
Scott revealed today: “The principal plan is to go to Doncaster for the Sky Bet Chase and then we will be looking at a return to Ayr for the Scottish Grand National. We covered the Sky Bet Chase entry with one in the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham, just in case of bad weather at Doncaster.”
Gone To Lunch, who carried 11st 12lb to finish second at Ayr in April, filled the runner-up berth in a Grade One novice chase at Punchestown just 10 days after that effort. Following a pipe opener at Ascot in October and a respectable fifth to Denman in the Hennessy at Newbury in November, the gelding was pulled up on heavy going in the Grade Three Welsh National at Chepstow on December 28.
Scott continued: “He seems in good order at present. The ground didn’t suit him at all in the Welsh National last time. We’ve run him on soft ground before and it didn’t bother him, but on Welsh National day it really was Chepstow soft - it was fairly desperate.
“In a way, if the ground is slightly softer it helps slow everybody else down and gives him a better chance. He would probably struggle for speed over three miles on quickish ground, so I wouldn’t mind if there’s a bit of give at Doncaster, which it looks as though there will be.
“We had a fair bit of snow here but we managed to keep the horses ticking over one way or another and we are fairly well on course for Saturday. I’d like it if he had less weight (allotted 11st 7lb) but he carried top-weight when he was second in the Scottish National last year and he seemed to cope with it. I think the bigger worry would be the trip. The further he goes, the better chance he has. Three miles is plenty short enough, but we’re happy with him.”
The David Pipe-trained Seven Is My Number is the 7/1 joint-favourite with Sky Bet following his smooth victory in the Grade Two Dipper Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham on January 1.
Theatrical Moment, the other 7/1 joint-favourite, could be seeking a hat-trick of wins following a pair of successes at Leicester before Christmas for trainer Jonjo O’Neill, while the Victor Dartnall-trained Exmoor Ranger won a Newbury handicap chase in November.
County Durham trainer Howard Johnson could saddle last season’s Grade Two-winning novice Killyglen, while North Yorkshire-based Ferdy Murphy has entered William Hill Trophy runner-up New Alco.
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Champion trainer Paul Nicholls has three acceptors. Kicks For Free and Tatenen were second and third, respectively, behind Seven Is My Number at Sandown in December. They could be joined by stable mate Nozic.
The Henrietta Knight-trained Calgary Bay is the current top-weight with 11st 12lb. The seven-year-old held the Henry Daly-trained Alderburn to win a handicap chase over the course and distance on December 12.
Others to note include Ouzbeck, From Dawn To Dusk, Trabolgan, Far More Serious, Battlecry, Nenuphar Collonges and Khachaturian. A maximum of 22 runners can line up on Saturday.
Latest prices from Sky Bet:
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7/1 Seven Is My Number, Theatrical Moment, 8/1 Exmoor Ranger, 11/1 Far More Serious, 14/1 Calgary Bay, Tatenen, 16/1 Trabolgan, Private Be, Killyglen, Khachaturian, 18/1 Kicks For Free, 20/1 New Alco, Nenuphar Collonges, Alderburn, Battlecry, 22/1 Ouzbeck, Pretty Star, Pablo du Charmil, 25/1 Beat The Boys, Gone To Lunch, From Dawn To Dusk, Zitenka, 28/1 Regal Heights, Nozic, Mill Side, 33/1 Pocket Aces, Oscar Park, 40/1 Always Waining, Or Jaune, Briery Fox, Flake, Quattrocento, 50/1 Brooklyn Brownie, Ollie Magern, 66/1 Pak Jack, Description
Each-way terms: 1/4 odds first 4 places
This year’s tremendous seven-race card on Saturday, January 30, incorporates for the first time the £35,000 Grade Two Skypoker.com Lightning Novices’ Chase (1.45pm), run over an extended two miles and formerly staged at Ascot. This race has attracted a high-class entry of 17, including Mad Max, Somersby, Tataniano and Dave’s Dream.
The £30,000 Grade Two Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle over an extended three miles takes place at 2.50pm and has 15 entries, while at 4pm a field of talented mares will line up for the £50,000 Grade Two Skyvegas.com Mares’ Hurdle (17 entries) over an extended two miles.
Also on the card are the opening £8,000 Skyvegas.com Handicap Hurdle (1.10pm), which has 47 entries, the £25,000 Skybet.com Handicap Chase (2.20pm), with 24 entries, and the concluding £3,000 Skybet.com For All Your Football Betting Junior Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race (4.30pm, 40 entries).
The two-day meeting also includes an entertaining six-race card on Friday, January 29, when the feature will be the £10,000 Skybet.com Handicap Chase (3.35pm), which has attracted 20 entries.
Latest going at Doncaster:
David Williams, Clerk of the Course at Doncaster, revealed today: “At present we are good to soft, soft in places.
“The soft is generally on the Bawtry Road side of the course and then a little bit of soft coming into the straight. The forecast is conflicting at the moment but it is looking as though it will probably be colder by the end of the week, so there is a possibility of overnight frost.”
