Trainers keep an eye on the weather

LOCAL trainers Dan Skelton and Olly Murphy will be anxiously checking the weather forecast ahead of Warwick’s two-day Winter Festival which starts on Wednesday (20th November), reports David Hucker.

The recent dry spell has seen racetracks having to be watered with the result that some races, particularly novice chases, have been run with small fields. On Friday, Skelton had withdrawn four intended runners at Exeter, which doesn’t have a watering system, including Heltenham in the feature £100,000 Haldon Gold Cup and Deafening Silence in the £40,000 Future Stars Silver Bowl Novices’ Chase, which ended up as a walkover.

Skelton was back in action on Saturday, however, with runners on Wincanton’s watered ground, landing the £75,000 Boodles Rising Stars Novices’ Chase with Boombawn to make it 84 winners for the stable already this season. Meanwhile, Murphy was on the mark at Aintree with Deploy To Spy and had two more winners on Sunday to take his seasonal score to 41.

There was just one withdrawal at the last Warwick meeting because of travel problems and none because of the ground, which was officially good after watering. Just three had lined up for the feature Stan Mellor Memorial Beginners’ Chase, but it did produce an exciting finish as Murphy’s Rambo T made all the running to hold off Skelton’s Skycutter on the run to the line.

Rambo T was ridden by Sean Bowen who is vying with Harry Skelton to be top jockey, although reigning champion Harry Cobden, who missed the summer through injury, is beginning to hit top gear, having followed his three winners at Exeter with four more at Wincanton on Saturday.

Highlight of the first day of the Festival, which gets underway at 1pm with the Visit racingtv.com Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, is the Class 3 Weatherbys And Northampton Town FC Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase over two miles.

The theme for the second day, which starts at 12.35pm, is the breeding of a national hunt racehorse and will be run in conjunction with the The Thoroughbred Breeders Association with a special raceday package for members.

The Class 2 John Sumner Memorial Veterans Handicap Chase worth £30,000 is the highlight with last year’s race going to the Murphy-trained Thomas Darby.

There are two meetings to look forward to in December with Eventmasters Christmas at the Races on Thursday 12th and the ever-popular New Year’s Eve fixture to round off 2024