Sign Of A Victory ruled out of Ladbroke
Trainer Nicky Henderson has reluctantly decided it is best to keep the exciting five-year-old at home following an ease in conditions at the Berkshire track.
The Seven Barrows trainer said: “Ascot had 12 millimetres of rain last night and into today and the ground has gone against us.
“It’s the last race on the card and with more forecast I’ve decided to take him out. He’s a far better horse on good ground.”
The five-year-old has been a major fancy for the valuable handicap since his impressive course and distance success at the beginning of November.
In contrast, Dan Skelton has welcomed the recent precipitation in the Ascot area for Shelford, who defeated Aubusson to take the Silver Trophy at Chepstow in late October.
The hat-trick seeker has got into the £150,000 feature close to the base of the handicap, and come in for steady support in the last 24 hours. He will attempt to follow in the hoof prints of Skelton’s Willow’s Saviour in the same race 12 months ago.
Skelton, buoyant after the victory of Zarib in the opener at Newbury, said: “He worked well this morning and schooled beautifully yesterday.”
Willie Mullins has confirmed David Casey rides Clondaw Warrior. The combination filled third place in last month’s Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham behind the Philip Hobbs-trained Garde La Victoire, who has top-weight in Saturday’s contest.
The final declaration stage for The Ladbroke is on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile Sizing Europe is poised to run at Leopardstown over Christmas as long as conditions are suitable.
Trainer Henry de Bromhead believes the eight-times Grade One scorer is again giving off the right signals ahead of the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase on December 27, a race he won two years ago.
Despite having claimed a superb victory upon his return to action at Gowran in October, the 12-year-old struggled in the Clonmel Oil Chase last month and has reportedly only just fully recovered from those exertions.
De Bromhead told the Irish Times: “I will have to talk to Ann and Alan (Potts, owners) and we will weigh things up and see what the ground will be like.
“He wouldn’t want it testing. But if it is suitable, I would imagine he would run.
“He’s in good form at the moment. He was very quiet, for him, after Clonmel but we’ve freshened him up since.
“I think he’s just got more sense at this stage than to be running on heavy ground and Johnny (Burke, jockey) was good in that he wasn’t hard on him.
“Before that at Gowran he was brilliant so we’ll just weigh things up closer to the time.
“It sounds a crazy thing to say about a horse that has won three Grade Ones there (Leopardstown), but sometimes I wonder if he might be better at other places.”
