Buckby Lane flying ahead of Newbury run

Paul Webber reports ante-post favourite Buckby Lane to be in flying form ahead of his crack at the Vodafone Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday.

The Banbury trainer’s positive words came on the back of news that his main market rival, Claymore, will miss the contest after pulling out lame this morning.

Webber’s nine-year-old overcame a year-long absence to run out a impressive winner of a Grade Three event at Cheltenham in January, and is entered in both the Daily Telegraph Trophy and the Mildmay of Flete at the Festival.

“He is in tremendous form and I won’t say this race wasn’t ever under consideration – it was always at the back of my mind – but when you have a horse that has won his only three starts around Cheltenham, the Mildmay of Flete would be the obvious place to go,” Webber told At The Races.

“However, the horse is in tremendous order at the moment, he’s very fresh and very well indeed. As you see every day horses, like Kicking King are falling away from their big targets.

“It can happen to Buckby Lane as likely as it can happen to any horse. So I would be extremely brave and perhaps a little foolhardy to bypass such a wonderfully valuable race on Saturday just for the sake of trying to get a winner at the Festival itself.

“I don’t know whether the Daily Telegraph will or won’t cut up but Saturday is an enormous prize and is our main focus – it hasn’t been a last-minute thought as some people have been saying.”

Claymore, who had been challenging Buckby Lane for favouritism in the Listed handicap following sustained support all week, will now have to sit out the two-and-a-half-mile feature.

“He won’t run as he got cast in his box overnight and is lame,” said trainer Oliver Sherwood.

“It is a real shame as you plan for one race and it doesn’t work out, but that is racing and horses for you.

“He’ll hopefully go for the Mildmay Of Flete at the Festival. He’s also in the Grand Annual but won’t run in that unless it is soft, which is pretty unlikely.

“If I can’t get him ready for that then I’ll have to have a good look at the programme book.”