Chomba camp unfazed by Ascot trip

Nicky Henderson is confident the two-mile-three-furlong trip of the Coral Ascot Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday will suit Chomba Womba.

The seven-year-old mare returned to the minimum distance in the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton earlier this month, beating none other than champion hurdler Katchit.

However she appeared to be found wanting for stamina when beaten into third behind Whiteoak in the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Henderson said: “She didn’t get the trip at Cheltenham but I’d like to think she’ll get this trip at Ascot.

“Mick (Fitzgerald) said she likes good ground – she goes in the soft, but she won’t mind it good.

“There are plenty of mares races later on in the season where we can keep her to her own sex but she has to be covered at a certain point.

“She went to the breeding sheds last year but didn’t get in foal, which is why she’s back in training.

“It’s great for me and she won a nice race at Wincanton a few weeks ago beating Katchit – but she was getting plenty of weight off him,” he told At The Races.

Taking on Chomba Womba will be David Pipe’s Lough Derg, last year’s Long Walk Hurdle winner who finished sixth on his reappearance in the West Yorkshire Hurdle at Wetherby.

Pipe said: “He’s a 25-1 chance with the bookies and I think that probably sums up his chance.

“At Wetherby first time Tom (Scudamore) felt he probably ran as well as he did in the same race last year but it was just a hotter race this year – I’d say this Ascot race is hotter than 12 months ago too.

“He faces a pretty stiff task.”