Hiccups to blame for Penzance flop
Last season’s Triumph Hurdle winner could only finish seventh behind Briareus in the Grade Two contest despite being sent off the 9-4 favourite.
“He ran so badly that something had to come to light,” said King.
“He came back with a condition called the thumps. It’s something I have seen only once before in one of my horses but the vets at the racecourse told me it’s much more common in Flat horses racing in the summer.
“It is caused by dehydration and all I can say is that it’s like a bad case of the hiccups.
“The diaphragm does not work properly and ends up banging against the lung lining.
“It is extremely uncomfortable for the horse and I don’t know why it happened. He certainly hasn’t done it before.”
Penzance is still generally available at 33-1 for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle at next month’s Cheltenham Festival.
Meanwhile Andrew Thornton hopes Royal & SunAlliance Chase contender The Listener will be a better horse for his fall at Lingfield on Saturday.
Robert Alner’s seven-year-old blotted a copybook that had seen him win all three of his chase starts by taking a tumble at the 10th fence in the totepool Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase.
The Listener had hitherto travelled sweetly throughout the three-mile contest, which left Thornton clueless as to why he was unshipped aboard Roselier gelding.
“He went to take off a stride early and didn’t get any height on it,” said the jockey.
“But for whatever reason he changed his mind and put down in the middle of the fence - I couldn’t put a finger on why he did it.
“Whether it was the sticky conditions I don’t know; it was just of those accidents you’ve got to move on from.
The Listener is a best-priced 12-1 chance to win the Royal & SunAlliance Chase.
Mick Fitzgerald believes Fondmort has a live chance of winning the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Nicky Henderson’s 10-year-old put up an encouraging performance at Lingfield on Saturday when he finished eight lengths in arrears of Our Vic in the Grade One Ascot totesport Chase.
Fitzgerald is now hoping the gelding, who is also entered in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the John Smith’s Grand National, can do himself justice at Prestbury Park next month.
“I was absolutely delighted with him - he never lets you down,” Fitzgerald told At The Races.
“I had some good rides yesterday and some were disappointing but the one thing I knew was Fondmort wouldn’t let me down and would run with great credit.
“That (the Ryanair Chase) is the obvious plan.”
Tom Mullins revealed Asian Maze to be in top trim after her pleasing reappearance at Gowran Park on Saturday.
The seven-year-old mare, who was having her first outing since winning the Menolly Homes Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown in April, showed eye-catching speed on the run-in to take second place behind Macs Joy in the Red Mills Trial Hurdle.
After coming out of the race unscathed, Asian Maze will now be primed for a crack at the Ladbrokes World Hurdle, for which he is a 7-1 chance with the sponsors.
“She’s come out of it great, looks 110%, and doesn’t look like she’s had a race,” reported the County Kilkenny handler.
“I was delighted with the run as she made up an awful lot of ground in the last furlong.
“Myself and Paul (Carberry) think she’ll improve an awful lot from that.
“I was expecting a good run and the World Hurdle definitely looks right up her street now - it’s certainly the main target at this moment in time.”
Graham Lee will again ride 2004 Grand National hero Amberleigh House in this year’s renewal of the John Smith’s sponsored marathon at Liverpool.
Ginger McCain delivered the news on the back of his 14-year-old finishing a staying-on seventh behind Our Armageddon in the Singer & Friedlander Handicap Chase at Uttoxeter on Saturday.
“I spoke to Graham yesterday and he confirmed he’ll definitely be riding Amberleigh,” said the Cholmondeley-based handler yesterday.
“He also said off that weight and at Aintree, we would have to be considered by the rest.”
