Murphy targets Aintree prize

Ferdy Murphy is aiming Ichi Beau at the bonusprint.com Handicap Chase at Aintree’s opening meeting of the season on Sunday.

The fast-ground performer finished fourth behind Hit Royal at Huntingdon in September.

“Ichi Beau is a definite runner and he’ll come on for his run at Huntingdon, which he needed,” said Murphy.

“We hadn’t finished the gallop here. We now have a new five-and-a-half-furlong Eurotrack gallop and he’s been on that and is spot on and ready now.

“He just blew up in the last furlong at Huntingdon because we hadn’t been able to get as much work into him as we would have liked on account of the firm ground here.

“He wants good or better ground – he wouldn’t want it to go softer. It went soft at Huntingdon. They had 22mm of rain that morning and there were soft patches.

“We’re desperate for rain at the moment, but we don’t want it at Aintree!”

The Heather Dalton-trained Quality First is also reported on course for the £25,000 (€35,940) contest.

Quality First ran well at the Liverpool course earlier in the year when sixth behind Clan Royal in the Martell Cognac Sainsbury’s Topham Chase.

“The Aintree race this weekend is the intended target for Quality First,” said Dalton. “It depends a little bit on the ground as we were hoping to go to Wetherby last week when all the chases were cancelled and the ground was too firm.

“He’s possibly best with a bit of cut, but as long as it’s genuine good ground at Aintree, then I think he’ll be all right on that.

“He’s done well over the summer and he’s definitely ready to run.

“He’s a quirky horse who refused to race last time out at Bangor, but as long as he puts his best foot forward then I think he’s in top form.”