Making Headway bids to provide the burgeoning training partnership of Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero with a significant pre-Cheltenham boost in the Betfair Imperial Cup at Sandown.
The Cheshire-based team will not send many runners to the Cotswolds next week but do have a major bullet to fire in the form of stablemate Iroko, winner of the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle 12 months ago and this time a serious player in the Turners Novices’ Chase.
Making Headway himself holds Cheltenham engagements in the Coral Cup and the Martin Pipe, but for now all eyes are on this weekend’s Sandown feature, the traditional appetiser to the Festival.
The six-year-old has enjoyed a fine first season over hurdles, with wins at Carlisle in October and Newbury last month sandwiching two creditable efforts in graded company, and Greenall feels he has plenty going for him on Saturday.
“He’s an improving horse who has run in some good races and run well,” he said.
“I don’t think it’s the deepest Imperial Cup there’s ever been, the favourite of Ben Pauling’s (Jipcot) won well at Huntingdon the other day but that was a lesser race, so he needs to step up again.
“We’ve got some good form with some good horses. He’s obviously inexperienced and needs further, but soft ground and the stiff finish at Sandown will suit him.”
Pauling is another trainer who can look forward to sending a small but select team to Cheltenham following an excellent recent run of form.
As well as saddling Jipcot, who carries a 7lb penalty for a comfortable win at Huntingdon last Sunday, the Naunton Downs handler has another leading contender in the form of Bad, who has been placed in four similarly competitive handicaps already this season and is due a change of luck.
“Jipcot has always been a horse who we knew had ability but had just been struggling to get exactly where we wanted him. It looks like the application of a hood and tongue-tie seems to have worked the oracle,” said Pauling.
“It’s quite a quick turnaround, but he didn’t have to do an awful lot to win at Huntingdon and he goes there in good form.
“I’m looking forward to seeing him back in some decent company. I’m not sure the 7lb will be too much of an issue and it’s been a case of getting his head in the right place really.”
On Bad, he added: “I was confident that going up in trip with him was the right thing to do, but with the ground being how it is and how it is going to ride on Saturday, he will be a stout stayer over two miles and I’m looking forward to seeing how he gets on.”
Paul Nicholls is hoping French recruit Sans Bruit can raise his game after what was an underwhelming debut British introduction at Doncaster in January.
“He didn’t quite get the trip at Doncaster where he was a bit keen on his debut for us on his first time since a wind op,” the champion trainer told Betfair.
“He should appreciate stepping back in distance to two miles and he has plenty of decent form on soft ground in France, where he won five times over hurdles.
“We are running him in a hood to try to help him relax and he looks to have a nice each-way chance.”
Sans Bruit will be partnered by Harry Cobden, but jockeys’ championship rival Sean Bowen is confident of clawing one back aboard Olly Murphy’s Go Dante.
A winner at Cheltenham in December, he was a respectable third in the Betfair Hurdle last month and goes to post off the same mark.
“It was a very good run at Newbury and he’ll enjoy the track and ground at Sandown,” said Bowen.
“He’s really progressed with each run this season and I’m really looking forward to riding him. He’ll love conditions and everything should suit.”
The sole Irish-trained contender is David O’Brien’s Minx Tiara, who was last seen filling the runner-up spot after leading for a long way in a Listed handicap hurdle at Leopardstown.
O’Brien, who trains around 15 horses at his base in Piltown, said: “Minx Tiara has come out of her run at the Dublin Racing Festival very well and seems in great form.
“The prize money is so good at Sandown and the owners are mad keen for a day out – they are a great bunch of lads and have had a lot of fun over the years. She is nine years old now and there might not be that many more chances to travel with her.
“Hopefully this is a good opportunity for her while she is in such good form. I thought she was well-handicapped, although I am a little bit worried that the English handicapper has given her an extra 9lb compared to her mark in Ireland and she is up 11lb overall for her run at Leopardstown.
“Sean and Danny (Mullins) who have both ridden her said with the form she is in at the moment, there could be a nice prize in her. Hopefully, she has an each-way 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.
Light seeking to shine again at Sandown
Kitty’s Light is taking aim at his usual season finisher in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.
The gelding has been a star for trainer Christian Williams, winning big handicap events like the Eider Chase and the Scottish Grand National and going close in the Charlie Hall and the Coral Trophy.
He has particularly good record in the bet365 Gold Cup on the final day of the season, missing out only due to interference when second in 2021 and coming home third in 2022.
Last year he was completed the set of podium finishes when winning by two and a half lengths under usual jockey Jack Tudor.
The two are well acquainted and teamed up for Kitty’s Light’s Grand National bid at Aintree earlier in the month, where he ran a valiant race to finish fifth behind four Grade-One winning Irish chasers.
Williams was incredibly proud of his stable star and is now hoping the gelding can shine again in the Sandown contest he has found to be lucrative in the past.
“It was wonderful, we trained him to win the race and we thought he could, but you couldn’t be disappointed with what he did,” Williams said of the National performance.
“We were thrilled, the horse tried his best and we were very, very proud of horse and jockey.
“He’s come out of it very well, if the race was run today even then he’d be running, he’s in good form.
“He loves it at Sandown with the big fences, his jumping has come on now but even as a five-year-old he nearly won the race.
“He was third the year after that, it really seems to suit him.
“I think he likes going right-handed, he hangs a little bit right at home and he seems to really enjoy it there.
“We’re taking our chance anyway, he seems well and we’ll hope for the best.”
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