Dunguib back in business
The Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham next month is next stop for the 2009 Weatherbys Champion Bumper victor after he made a pleasing reappearance when winning the Red Mills Trial Hurdle.
“He’s absolutely A1 and he’ll freshen up for a couple of days,” said Co Tipperary-based Fenton.
“You couldn’t complain with that. It was just what the doctor ordered.
“He was a under a cloud five weeks ago so I think it was quite a good performance.
“The Champion is three weeks on Tuesday. He should be fine and he doesn‘t need a great deal of work anyhow.
“Saturday’s race just fitted in perfect.”
Meanwhile, Alan King believes Mille Chief has earned the right to be in the Stan James Champion Hurdle next month.
The progressive five-year-old stepped up to the plate in his first race outside seasoned handicap company with a game verdict by a nose from Celestial Halo in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on Saturday.
King believes there is more to come from Mille Chief, but accepts he will up be against it at Cheltenham on March 15.
“He‘s had to battle and he‘s done it well. It was the first proper battle he‘s been in so I‘m hoping he will have learned from that,”.
“All roads lead to Cheltenham. We are under no illusions as we know he has to step up a fair bit but I look forward to running him and he is improving.”
nRiverside Theatre’s success in the Betfair Ascot Chase spearheaded a dazzling Berkshire four-timer for Nicky Henderson and Barry Geraghty.
The 11-10 favourite was paying a hefty compliment to his stablemate Long Run, who beat him comfortably in last month’s King George VI Chase, as he came 10 lengths clear of Gauvain.
But Saturday’s race was marred by the death of Paul Nicholls’ promising Pride Of Dulcote, who broke a leg when falling early on the final circuit.
Riverside Theatre has excelled on flat tracks and seized the £84,000 first prize as he pulled away from Gauvain after the second-last.
Henderson retained the Sodexo Prestige Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase through Master Of The Hall, who is the same age as Riverside Theatre but a year behind in terms of experience.
Henderson said: “The owners won’t need persuading to go for the RSA and Burton Port who won this last year nearly won it, so we’ll see.”
Henderson and Geraghty added a third winner when 30-100 favourite Sprinter Sacre took the Trisoft “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle in a canter.
“We came here with three that we weren’t sure about for Cheltenham, but maybe they’ve played themselves into the team,” the trainer reflected.
The top team had one more ace to play, with Mono Man (6-4 favourite) making off with the Gardiner & Theobald Standard Open NH Flat Race.
Silver By Nature may attempt to become the first grey to win the John Smith’s Grand National in 50 years after he defied top weight at Haydock.
The nine-year-old could try to emulate Nicolaus Silver back in 1961 after putting up a tremendous display to win the totesport.com Grand National Trial for the second year running
nSon Amix is Tom Cooper’s most likely runner in a reduced team at the Cheltenham Festival.
Cooper’s 2009 Arkle winner Forpadydeplasterer was ruled out of all the showpiece Festival races after struggling to recover from travelling to Kempton for the King George VI Chase.
The onus is now on his stable companion, a reliable handicapper who was fourth in last year’s Fred Winter.
The Shepherd King, who has won twice under Rules but finished a distant fourth to Zaidpour on his most recent start in the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse, also has several entries at Cheltenham.
Cooper’s only other entry is Not Before Eight in the National Hunt Chase.
“The Shepherd King is likely to go to Thurles next Thursday,” said Cooper.
“He probably needs to show a bit more before we think about Cheltenham.
“I know I’ll run Son Amix at Cheltenham, either in the Coral Cup or the Pertemps Final.”
