French options for Solwhit
The French Champion Hurdle at Auteuil in June plus earlier events over two-miles-three-furlongs and two-miles-five-furlongs are likely to be considered for the nine-year-old.
The Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March and the Aintree Hurdle on Merseyside in April are the obvious targets nearer home for Charles Byrnes’ stable star.
The County Limerick trainer was delighted Solwhit got his head in front for the first time since November 2010 following a long lay-off but is not getting carried away by his performance to win the Grade Three Limestone Lad Hurdle.
“It was good to get him back. He’s been in the paddock all morning. His legs are fine and that’s the main thing,” said Byrnes.
“It was nice to win, but you’d have been disappointed if he didn’t do it at the weights. He still had to go out and do it though.
“He probably still ran to a mark higher than 145 or something like that, I imagine, but we’re delighted he got on the scoresheet because it’s a long time since he won.
“He’s going to get a complete break for a week.
“I don’t know what we will do with him. He’s entered in the World Hurdle and Aintree would be a possibility as would France after that.
“There would be another race in France before their Champion Hurdle in June. I never mentioned the French Champion Hurdle yesterday, I just mentioned France.
“There are three opportunities over there – a two-mile-three and a two-mile-five as well.
“The two-mile-three is towards the end of April and I entered Pittoni for that last year, but we won’t decide anything for a couple of weeks.
“He’s nine now so we don’t want to give him too busy a schedule. We’ll look after him and try to get another season out of him.”
Meanwhile Oscar Time is to follow the same path as he did when runner-up to Ballabriggs in the 2011 John Smith’s Grand National.
Connections of the Martin Lynch-trained gelding have pencilled in the At The Races Bobbjyo Chase at Fairyhouse on February 23 as the prep target ahead of another tilt at the Aintree spectacular on April 6.
Oscar Time finished third to The Midnight Club in that Grade Two heat over three miles and a furlong before taking second spot in the National two years ago.
Injury prevented him from going to Merseyside last season and his build-up to the great race this time suffered a slight blip when Oscar Time unseated owner Robert Waley-Cohen’s son, Sam, in the Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles on Thursday.
“He is absolutely fine. Unfortunately Joncol just flicked a bit of birch into his face as he took off, so he decided he’d put in an extra stride before the fence and there wasn’t enough time,” said the owner.
“Then he got banged into by Paul Carberry’s horse (Foildubh) behind. It wasn’t one of our happiest days, but he lives to fight another day.
“The Grand National is definitely the plan and we hoped that would be a nice confidence-building run, but it didn’t quite work out that way.
“We are planning to go to the Bobbyjo Chase. That race has become the established Irish trial for the Grand National.
“Everyone seems to use it for that purpose and that was the race he ran in before the National last time.
“It’s perfect timing, the weights are out and people feel that whatever the weights are they have to live with them. If they run well there, or badly, it doesn’t have any impact, so that’s where we go.”
* Long Run is likely to wear cheekpieces when he bids to regain his crown in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.
Owner Robert Waley-Cohen said the application of that type of headgear was “under serious consideration” for the eight-year-old, who was victorious in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day for a second time.
“It is definitely under serious consideration for the Gold Cup. Whether he will wear them beforehand I don’t know,” he said.
The eight-year-old, trained by Nicky Henderson, is a top-priced 7-1 third favourite to land the blue riband of jumps racing which he won in 2011.
Waley-Cohen reports Long Run to have taken his Christmas exertions very well, but that it had not yet been decided whether he will have another run before the Gold Cup.
Last year he won the Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury on the road to Cheltenham and next month’s race is an obvious option.
“I think he’s come out of the race better than we expected and is in good order,” said Waley-Cohen.
“He was slightly less than 100% last year. He has regained his mojo.
“We are thinking whether to run him before the Gold Cup and we haven’t decided yet – with this snow it’s hard to make any decisions.
“There’s the Denman Chase at Newbury. He won it last year and broke the track record.
“That has to be a possibility but I wouldn’t say he was certain to run in it.”
