Inglis Drever team choose the Saturday option
Graham Wylie’s six-year-old, trained by Howard Johnson, is to step back to two and a half miles following his famous victory over Baracouda in the stayers’ championship last month.
Wylie said yesterday: “We have decided to go for the two-and-a-half-mile race on Saturday as we know he gets the trip really well and with the softer ground that we are expecting, it could be the ideal race for him.
“We will hopefully pick up a few more points for the Order Of Merit.
“He’s been fine since Cheltenham and we just hope he’ll be OK on the racetrack.
“It’s always a worry when they’ve had a few races - you can wonder, have we gone to the well once too often?
“But he’s as tough as nails and always gives his all.”
Trainer Johnson added: “There are more Order Of Merit points available for winning or being placed in a Grade One, and we want to win the Order Of Merit on Saturday.”
Victory would give Inglis Drever an unassailable lead in the inaugural series.
He has 78 points and leads Azertyuiop by eight, with Crystal D’Ainay third on 63.
Inglis Drever, who was also entered for the John Smith’s And Batleys Liverpool Hurdle over an extended three miles on Thursday, is among 13 put in the Aintree Hurdle, in which Johnson has a second string to his bow in Chivalry.
A strong field is expected to line up, with other possibles including Brave Inca, Accordion Etoile and Macs Joy - the third, fourth and fifth home in the Champion Hurdle.
Other Champion Hurdle also-rans with an entry are Intersky Falcon (sixth), Al Eile (seventh) and Rooster Booster (eighth).
Philip Hobbs’s popular grey Rooster Booster would be making his fourth successive appearance in the race, being runner-up for the past two years after finishing fourth in 2002.
Westender, fourth in the World Hurdle and third in this race 12 months ago, is Martin Pipe’s sole entry.
The Francois Doumen-trained Blue Canyon, Venetia Williams’s Coral Cup winner Idole First, Monet’s Garden and Exotic Dancer complete the list.
: 5-2 Inglis Drever, Brave Inca, 10-3 Macs Joy, 11-2 Accordion Etoile, 8-1 Westender, 12-1 Intersky Falcon, Al Eile, 16-1 Rooster Booster, Blue Canyon, 20-1 bar.
