 Kauto Star and Ruby Walsh jump the final fence at Down Royal
|
Kauto Star, with Sam Thomas replacing the injured Ruby Walsh on board, is set to face just five rivals in the Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday.
The 2007 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner returned in style with a cosy win at Down Royal earlier in November.
Old rival Exotic Dancer is among other entries, while Cloudy Lane, Ollie Magern, Tamarinbleu and Snoopy Loopy complete the field.
Kauto Star is going for his third victory in the Haydock race.
He is already odds-on favourite to follow up by claiming another treble in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Walsh faces three weeks on the sidelines after rupturing his spleen in a fall at Cheltenham on Saturday.
He was also out with injury 12 months ago when Thomas deputised on Kauto Star when narrowly beating Exotic Dancer at Haydock.
Walsh returned to ride Kauto Star to second in the 2008 Gold Cup, when Thomas triumphed on stablemate Denman.
The Haydock race is the first leg of a £1m bonus offered by the sponsors to any horse who completes a special treble.
They must finish in the first three at Haydock, come first or second in a Cheltenham Festival race in March and win the Grand National at Aintree in April.
 |
606: DEBATE
BBC Sport's Honest Frank
|
Exotic Dancer, trained by Jonjo O'Neill, has been beaten seven times by Kauto Star, including a half-length defeat at Haydock 12 months ago.
"He's up against his old rival, meeting him for the eighth time," said Barry Simpson, racing manager to Exotic Dancer's owner Sir Robert Ogden.
"I have to say eight is my lucky number. We were pleased with his first run and Jonjo reports the horse to be in great form. It's a big day for us."
Earlier on Saturday, the JP McManus-owned Binocular is likely to start a hot favourite as he bids to show he is Champion Hurdle material in the Betfair Hurdle (1340).
The four-year-old, trained by Nicky Henderson, was runner-up in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle in March, and is rated far superior to his four rivals.
Several other Champion Hurdle contenders, including Emma Lavelle's Crack Away Jack, are in action at Ascot.
Franchoek, Chomba Womba and Elusive Dream are among rivals in the Ascot Hurdle (1355).
No comments:
Post a Comment