Tavern set to keep on truckin’
The eight-year-old will be looking to bounce back from the tumble he took at the first fence in the cantorsport.co.uk Silver Cup Handicap Chase at Ascot on December 21.
Although the horse was fine after the fall, Murphy sent Truckers Tavern back to the Berkshire track for some tuition from jumping guru Yogi Breisner.
"Truckers Tavern actually had three days back down at Ascot with Yogi Breisner he came back yesterday and they were very happy with him," said Murphy.
"There was nothing wrong with him but we just "There was nothing wrong with him but we just gave him a few days away and he's done quite a bit of intensive schooling down there. We've just had him out on the gallops this morning and he's bouncing and we couldn't be happier with him."
Before his Ascot run, Truckers Tavern had stayed on well on his seasonal debut in the Tote Placepot Champion Handicap Chase over three miles and a furlong on heavy ground at Kelso early in December. Kelso early in December.
The Phardante gelding is likely to face heavy ground at Warwick on Saturday but Murphy is confident he can handle the going and the three miles, two furlongs trip.
The trainer said: "He's not going to worry about any of that it's perfect for him.
"Kelso proved that he stays even though he hit the second last hard and he was out on his feet he really stayed at it up the straight and I think staying will be his forte."
The Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 13 remains Truckers Tavern's main target, but if all goes well this weekend, he is likely to have an earlier run at Prestbury Park. an earlier run at Prestbury Park.
"He'll probably go to Cheltenham for the Pillar Property Chase (on January 25) he'd have a run around in that just to get an outing on the track and get more experience of it."
Punters will have to survive on a diet of all-weather meetings until at least Friday as the cold spell continues to play havoc with the jump racing programme in Britain.
Lingfield are the only track to race today while Southwell's meeting is the sole surviving track on Thursday. Kelso will inspect at 3.30pm today to see if their meeting on Friday can go ahead but prospects do not look promising as the track is still covered in snow.
Huntingdon however are still hopeful of getting the green light though and their going is currently described as soft, waterlogged in places but there are frozen parts of the track.
Friday's other meeting at Wolverhampton has been switched to Southwell in a bid to combat the bad weather.
