Jeriko Du Reponet returns to the scene of his impressive debut attempting to enhance his burgeoning reputation in the Coral Committed To Safer Gambling ‘Introductory’ Hurdle on Saturday.
Trained by Nicky Henderson, the point winner became the talk of the town when dazzling at Newbury on the pre-Coral Gold Cup gallops morning and lived up to expectations when taking to the track, with an easy three-and-a-quarter-length victory over course and distance.
Already favourite with most firms for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, he now faces stiffer opposition as he continues to build up his experience ahead of bigger assignments to come.
“He’s a big horse and he’s only had one point-to-point and one hurdle race which didn’t tell us very much,” said Henderson. “But he did what he had to and was learning all the way.
“This is a better-quality field and we will see how we go here.”
Lying in wait for the four-year-old are four rivals, including Alan King’s Lingfield scorer and 94-rated Flat performer Paradias and Hughie Morrison’s Secret Squirrel, who is three from three following a taking success at Kempton on his hurdles debut.
“He’s only four and is very inexperienced. He hasn’t been through the point-to-points and hasn’t ran on the Flat, so is still really green really,” said Morrison.
“I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do and he probably should be running in a softer novice but the ground could be even worse soon and in two weeks’ time it could be rained off, snowed off or even frozen.
“It’s all about experience and the Henderson horse looks like the next Sprinter Sacre, Altior, Shishkin-type heir apparent there and a 95-rated Flat horse can make a pretty decent jumper as I know from Not So Sleepy, so he could run very well and finish third.
“But it isn’t too far from home and so far Newbury has avoided a lot of the rain, well the worst of it. I just want him to have a nice experience.”
Henderson will also hope to taste success with the King and Queen’s Steal A March in the Coral Racing Club Join For Free Handicap Hurdle.
The eight-year-old was well fancied for a Cheltenham Festival handicap last term before injury struck and now returns from 369 days off the track bidding to pick up where he left off, having scored at Wincanton when last seen.
Dan Skelton’s Get A Tonic impressed when bolting up over course and distance earlier this month and is likely to be a warm order for a repeat, while Paul Nicholls’ Irish Hill was well held on that occasion but is now tried in first-time blinkers off a mark 1lb lower than his last successful rating.
Nicholls told Betfair: “I’m putting a pair of blinkers on Irish Hill to try to sharpen him up because I’m not convinced he put everything in last time at this track.
“Hopefully he can go well off a mark of 127.”
A competitive field has also assembled for the Coral Mandarin Handicap Chase, where Surrey Quest is one of the leading contenders.
Formally trained at Seven Barrows, he made a brilliant start to life in the care of ex-Henderson assistant Toby Lawes when a fast-finishing six-and-a-half-length scorer at Huntingdon and now tries to follow up after an 8lb rise.
“He won well on his debut for Toby and will certainly appreciate the extra distance,” said Clive Hadingham, co-founder of Surrey Racing with Steve Grubb.
“He had a minor op after that race and, while he’s in great shape, he would have preferred this race to be a week later. The ground will be perfect – he wouldn’t want any more rain – but we are happy to take a chance.”
Supreme Ventures Racing urges review of racing rule after Caymanas Park abandonments
Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL), operators of Caymanas Park, have called for a review of Rule 44 (iii) enforced by the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) following the cancellation of two races during the April 27 race meet at Caymanas Park.
In a press conference on Monday addressing the abandoned races, SVREL Executive Chairman Solomon Sharpe expressed frustration with the rule, highlighting its potential impact on the racing industry.
"This rule, unique to Jamaica, imposes a strict five-minute limit after the published post time for races at Caymanas Park," Sharpe stated. "It fails to account for various factors that can delay race starts and penalizes all stakeholders when races are abandoned, affecting punters, jockeys, grooms, trainers, owners, promoters, and the government."
Last year, Caymanas Park contributed over $260 million in combined taxes to the government's coffers. Sharpe urged the JRC to engage SVREL in discussions on Rule 44, emphasizing the need for constructive dialogue to address the rule's impact.
"We were not consulted during the initial discussions on this rule, and now, with two races abandoned in a single race day, our concerns have materialized," Sharpe explained. "SVREL is open to collaborating with the JRC to review and refine this amended rule."
Representatives from the Grooms Association, Jockeys Association, and the United Racehorse Trainers Association echoed SVREL's concerns and supported the call for a review of Rule 44.
Sharpe concluded by appealing to regulators, stakeholders, and the public to support the growth of the horseracing industry in Jamaica. "Horseracing has immense potential in Jamaica and can become a significant foreign exchange earner. Realizing this potential requires collaboration among all stakeholders."
SVREL has been operating Caymanas Park since March 2017 after the government divested the property. With investments exceeding J$4 billion in product enhancements and innovations like the Mouttet Mile, which boasts the largest purse in the English-speaking Caribbean, SVREL remains committed to advancing the horseracing experience in Jamaica.
Supreme Ventures Racing regrets abandonment of two races at Caymanas Park on Saturday
Supreme Ventures Racing & Entertainment Limited (SVREL) has expressed regret and disappointment following the abandonment of two races during the Saturday, April 27 race day at Caymanas Park in St Catherine, Jamaica.
The decision to abandon these races, SVREL said, was made in compliance with regulations set forth by the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC), leading to the refund of all related pools according to SVREL's Pari-mutuel rules.
According to the statement released by SVREL late Saturday, the abandonment of races number one and six, respectively, was declared by the stewards of the Jamaica Racing Commission (JRC) due to delays that exceeded the permitted time frame as stipulated by Rule 44(iii).
Specifically, in race number one, scheduled to commence at 12:00 pm, a saddling issue with horse number five and a mandatory veterinary check for horse number eight, which reared and fell after exiting the saddling barn, resulted in delays beyond the allowable limit.
Similarly, race number six, slated for 3:10 pm, was delayed due to a horse running loose, ultimately leading to its abandonment by the stewards of the JRC.
SVREL explained that the recent amendments to Rule 44(iii), which came into effect from April 1, 2024, mandate strict adherence to race start times with a maximum allowance of five minutes after the published post time. SVREL noted that Jamaica is unique in enforcing such a rule without prior consultation with the sole promoter of horseracing in Jamaica.
The enforcement of this rule has led to financial losses for industry stakeholders, including owners, trainers, jockeys, grooms, punters, and the promoter and as such the disruption caused by the abandonment of these races understandably resulted in unrest among stakeholder groups.
Despite the challenges faced, the race meet resumed with race number seven at approximately 4:00 pm, SVREL noted.
SVREL has now issued a sincere apology to valued customers and stakeholders for the inconvenience caused by the abandonment of races one and six by the JRC. SVREL also emphasized its readiness for open dialogue with the JRC and all impacted stakeholders to ensure the continued success and integrity of the horseracing industry.
As the sole promoter of horseracing in Jamaica, SVREL said it remains committed to addressing challenges collaboratively and upholding the highest standards of professionalism and service within the industry.
Darrell Clarke urges Cheltenham fans to get behind team in bid to stay up
Darrell Clarke has called for Cheltenham’s fans to travel in numbers as they bid to escape the drop in League One with a final-day win at Stevenage.
Tuesday’s 2-0 home victory over Peterborough kept their hopes alive, sealed by first-half goals from Joe Nuttall and Matty Taylor, leaving them two points behind Burton.
They must win at Stevenage and hope Burton fail to beat Fleetwood and or Cambridge lose to Port Vale.
“I thought the boys were magnificent tonight and we needed to be,” Clarke said.
“Now, we take it to the last game of the season. It was a really good atmosphere tonight and the fans were great so hopefully we can get as many of them as possible down to Stevenage and fill the away end because we need everybody there trying to cheer us on for a win.
“When I came in we had one point and no goals, so of course I would have snapped your hand off for this position with one game left, with 44 points.
“The lads have been magnificent over a period of time and there is a real togetherness in the group, even when we took a lot of knocks recently.
“We have bounced back and found that really good performance. We need to find that last really good performance in the last game of the season.”
With their play-off spot already secured, Posh boss Darren Ferguson rested a host of regulars, making seven changes.
And his youthful side were blown away in the first half by the Robins, who knew anything other than a win meant relegation with one game to play.
Nuttall reacted quickest to bundle the ball over the line from close range after goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic could only parry Liam Sercombe’s shot in the 11th minute.
The lead was doubled 10 minutes later when Taylor brought down a ball forward from Lewis Freestone and applied an expert finish.
Taylor crashed a shot against the post in the 32nd minute after Liam Kinsella’s pass and Elliott Bonds forced Bilokapic into a smart save two minutes later.
Posh threatened through Ricky-Jade Jones before half-time, but they were second best and Taylor and Bonds both forced Bilokapic into evasive action in the second half.
At the other end, Luke Southwood parried Jonson Clarke-Harris’ shot in the 58th minute and kept out a late header from the centre forward.
Ferguson admitted his team struggled from the first whistle.
“They got on top of us and we couldn’t sustain any sort of control,” he said.
“The goals were terrible goals to give away, you can’t give goals away like that.
“We spoke about the first 20 minutes before we left the hotel – we had to see that through and try and make sure we dealt with them because we knew they’d be straight down our throats and they were and we conceded two soft goals.
“There were certain things we worked on that we didn’t do well enough, but the goals were poor and you can’t give goals away like that, especially tonight because they got so much energy from it.
“The longer the game went on and they hadn’t scored, the more chances we were going to get. We knew we had pace in behind and I have to say we had five or six very good opportunities as well.
“Congratulations to Cheltenham, they go into Saturday still with a chance of staying up.”
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