Rooster bidding for Christmas Boost

Rooster Booster will face six rivals when he bids to get back on the winning track in the Jobs@Pertemps City Christmas Hurdle at Kempton Park on St Stephen's Day.

The Philip Hobbs-trained grey was a very impressive winner of the Smurfit Champion Hurdle before being touched off by Sacundai at Aintree, where his rider dropped his whip with a furlong left to run on the flat.

But he appeared to have lost some of his dash on his return at Cheltenham earlier this month, when he finished fifth of seven behind one of his Kempton rivals Rigmarole.

However, the probability is that the race went against him in that it was run at a crawl before developing into a sprint from two out and Rooster Booster, who takes a keen hold, has always required a strong pace to produce his best form.

Rooster Booster pleased connections in a workout on Hobbs’ wood chip gallop on Tuesday.

His owner Terry Warner also runs the Ian Williams-trained Brooklyn’s Gold.

Warner said: “Rooster Booster is fine and I think he’ll be better for the race last time as well. A bit softer ground might help him.

“We run Brooklyn’s Gold but he’s not just a pacemaker because he has already beaten Rigmarole and it wouldn’t surprise me if he got a place.

“He’s there on his merits but obviously he will make the pace but he’ll make it a decent pace because he’d have a chance at any rate.”

Rigmarole’s trainer Paul Nicholls will also be represented by Sporazene.

Ruby Walsh will ride the latter with Mick Fitzgerald booked for Rigmarole.

Jonjo O’Neill runs last year’s winner Intersky Falcon, who beat Back In Front by 12 lengths on his reappearance at Tipperary in October, but was a disappointing third in the Pertemps “Fighting Fifth” Hurdle at Newcastle last time.