Flyer primed for big Cheltenham run

David Johnson is expecting a big show from Commercial Flyer when he makes his return to action in the boylepoker.com Chase at Cheltenham tomorrow.

The David Pipe-trained seven-year-old was sent off the 9-2 favourite for last season’s Royal & SunAlliance Chase after making a winning bow over the larger obstacles the previous month.

He proved a big disappointment at Prestbury Park, however, where he was pulled up before the fourth-last.

Commercial Flyer also ran no sort of race at Aintree in April but connections have kept faith in the gelding and hope the decision to bypass Saturday’s boylesports.com Gold Cup pays dividends.

Explaining running plans, Johnson said: “We had a long deliberation over it and thought that he’d be better suited over three and a bit miles.

“I suppose he’ll be left in the Saturday race but the chances are that he’ll just run tomorrow.

“It’s a £100,000 (€147,900) race and we just thought we had more chance of winning this than we did of winning the other,” he told At The Races.

“To be honest, he didn’t fulfil what we’d hoped last year but he had a few niggling problems that I think David and Martin (Pipe) have probably now overcome and we expect a very big race from him tomorrow.

“If Timmy (Murphy) can get him settled then we think he’ll go very close.”