Geraghty wanted for Ambobo ride
Chaille-Chaille is responsible for Ambobo, one of the market leaders for the Royal & SunAlliance Novices’ Hurdle, and Bonbon Rose, who is likely to head for the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
With the gallops frozen at the trainer’s establishment at La Palmyre in south-west France following temperatures of minus seven overnight, the two horses worked with the remainder of Chaille-Chaille’s string on the beach yesterday morning.
Both horses have already run at Cheltenham, Ambobo taking a novice hurdle under Geraghty last month and Bonbon Rose finishing sixth in a juvenile event on the same card.
Herve Barjot, racing manager to the horses’ owner Sean Mulryan, said today: “The trainer thinks Ambobo is far better than before his race at Cheltenham.
“Ambobo is very well and the form has worked out, with the third (Mephisto) coming out and winning.
“He was possibly too fresh at Cheltenham but he has settled and done very well at home. The plan is for Barry Geraghty to ride him again, and hopefully Bonbon Rose as well.
“We are thinking of going for the Fred Winter Hurdle with Bonbon Rose - we’ll just have to see what weight he gets. Otherwise he could go for the JCB Triumph Hurdle. He, too, has come on for the run at Cheltenham.
“With a good horse we want to go to another country and, as Sean Mulryan has said, Cheltenham is the temple of jump racing.”
Barjot also had news of Cyrlight, last year’s French horse of the year, and Kiko, last season’s leading three-year-old hurdler.
Barjot said: “Cyrlight came to our stud for two months and returned into training three weeks ago. He has done very well and put on 47 kilos and will probably have his first start back over hurdles at Auteuil on April 8.
“The idea is to give him an easy start with possibly three races in the spring and then maybe one in England before the King George VI Chase on St Stephen’s Day, which will definitely be his target at the end of the year.
“He may go to Ireland at some time in the future as well. The Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris at Auteuil in May is a possibility, but we’ll see what else is running in that.
“Kiko has improved a huge amount and I have a good feeling about him. He has also been to the stud.
“There is a good programme for four-year-olds in France, but he is another we would hope to run in England or Ireland. He could run on March 13 at Auteuil and I think he will be more of a stayer that a Champion Hurdle type of horse.”
Meanwhile, Graham Lee, who has been sidelined for the last three weeks with a broken collarbone, is confident he will be back in the saddle for the Cheltenham Festival.
However, the Stockton-based Irish jockey is still unable to set a definite date for his return after his fall from Kew Jumper on his first visit to Wincanton on February 10.
The Grand National-winning jockey had returned to action at Catterick last month following six weeks out after breaking his right arm at Doncaster in November.
“It seems to be OK, but I am just taking it day by day and can’t say for sure when I will be back,” said Lee. “I’ll know more by the end of the week, but I will be back for the Festival.”
