Rooster heads Cheltenham weights
Rooster Booster tops the weights unveiled today for the Listed Rehabilitation of Racehorses Hurdle at Cheltenham on Sunday week.
Philip Hobbs’ eight-year-old has been given 11st 12lb after an impressive success at Kempton last month.
Last year’s Royal & Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle winner Galileo is next on the list with 11st 7lb for trainer Tom George while the Martin Pipe pair of Polar Red (11st 5lb) and Puntal (11st 4lb) are next.
Pipe also has Westender (11st 2lb), Samon (10st 6lb), Dream With Me (10st 5lb) and Exit Swinger (10st 4lb) in the line up.
Trainer Gary Moore has two intended contenders in Rob Leach (9st 5lb) and Tikram (9st 9lb) and both are reported to be on course for the race.
Moore said: "At the moment both Rob Leach and Tikram will run at Cheltenham. Rob Leach ran very well at Ascot on Saturday where the pace of the race didn’t suit him.
"Tikram has been entered for the November Handicap (at Doncaster on Saturday) but he probably won’t get in.
"He’s also entered the same day at Wincanton (for the K J Pike & Sons Elite Hurdle) but if Rooster Booster runs there, and he probably will, my horse will be 8lb out of the handicap and won’t run.
“So it all depends on Saturday but Tikram will probably go straight to Cheltenham."
Benbyas, who is now with Declan Carroll after the retirement of previous trainer Les Eyre, has been given 10st for the race and is set to use the event as an early build-up to the National Hunt Festival in March.
The five-year-old is reported to be in good health by Carroll and could be set for a spin on the level on Saturday.
Carroll said: "Benbyas has done really well and had a good summer’s break. He’s come back in bigger and stronger and he’s going to have a pipe opener on the Flat at Doncaster on Saturday just to blow the cobwebs away."
After a fruitful season last year Benbyas has slowly risen up the handicap and Carroll added: “This does slightly worry me as he wouldn’t be an over big horse. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not small but he’s not really a big horse to be carrying large weights.
"However, the biggest part to this horse is his heart - he doesn’t know when to give up."
Although hopes are high for his seasonal reappearance over timber, Carroll has plotted a more long-term plan for Benbyas.
"We’d expect him to go to Cheltenham and run a big race. There will be improvement left in him though as we want to go back to Cheltenham in March, which is the main objective for him," explained Carroll.
"We’ll enter him for the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle again, the Coral Eurobet Cup Handicap Hurdle and he could also be put in the Bonusprint Stayers’ Hurdle - as we get nearer the time we’ll make up our minds."
