Fanshawe taking it slowly with Reveillez
Reveillez is not certain to make a return trip to the Cheltenham Festival despite getting off the mark over fences at Folkestone, where he formed the middle leg of a treble for Tony McCoy.
The champion jockey produced a dominant performance on the 30-100 favourite in the Folkestone-racecourse.co.uk Beginners’ Chase, leading at the last to beat Pardishar by an easy two lengths.
But trainer James Fanshawe was not too enthusiastic about last year’s Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle sixth going back to Prestbury Park next month, despite the gelding possessing a Royal & SunAlliance Chase entry.
He said: “I don’t know about Cheltenham – I’ll have to speak to the connections but his form would not be good enough to run in the SunAlliance and he wouldn’t be going for that. I’ll probably keep him small at the moment.”
Opera Mundi also justified odds-on favouritism (4-6) in the Barry Loves Posh Birds Maiden Hurdle, leading at the last and skating clear to beat Palm Island by three and a half lengths and give McCoy the first part of his three-timer.
The winner, trained by Paul Nicholls and sporting Sir Robert Ogden’s famous silks, was getting off the mark at the third time of asking, having finished runner-up on his first two starts including in much better company at Taunton last month.
He holds an entry in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, but Ladbrokes were unimpressed and pushed him out to 33-1 (from 25-1).
The Burmarsh Novices’ Hurdle provided McCoy with his hat-trick courtesy of 4-1 chance Topkat, who gained a clear victory by five lengths from Border Castle, with Wellbeing nine lengths adrift in third.
Martin Pipe’s ace, who currently holds no Festival entries, was making the long journey from Somerset pay off and gave the trainer the second leg of a double.
Pipe had earlier struck with the Timmy Murphy-ridden Yes My Lord (7-2) in the opening Dymchurch Handicap Hurdle, the seven-year-old beating Buckland Gold by three and a half lengths, with a length and a half back to Redwood Grove in third.
There was drama earlier in the race when long-time leaders Jackie Boy and Full On took the chase course immediately after the fifth hurdle with both horses being pulled up soon after.
Respective jockeys Antony Evans and William Kennedy were both suspended for 10 days from February 25 to March 6.
Three-horse permit holder Sarah Wall followed up on last month’s victory here with Tallow Bay (8-1), saddling the Glacial Storm gelding to a facile seven-length defeat of Up The Pub under amateur rider Gerald Tumelty.
Kappelhoff was third, a further four lengths away.
The concluding bumper was won by the Alan King-trained Pangbourne (5-1), who absolutely dotted up under Robert Thornton in making all by 20 lengths from Fredensborg, with Boston Strong Boy third.
