Kumbeshwar to go chasing

Alan King’s Kumbeshwar is to embark upon a novice chasing career.

The four-year-old finished second in the Fred Winter at the Festival in March and bettered that run when finishing second twice in Grade Ones at Aintree and Punchestown.

He has been unplaced twice this season, behind Brampour at Ascot and in the Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham, and King feels now is the time to make the switch.

The Barbury Castle handler will also be preparing the smart Montbazon for novice hurdles after he finished third in the Listed bumper at Prestbury Park on Sunday.

“They simply went too fast for Kumbeshwar in the Greatwood Hurdle, so we will probably now send him over fences and he could be an exciting novice, while, though Montbazon could finish only third in the Listed bumper, I was in no way disappointed,” the trainer told www.alankingracing.co.uk

“He does everything so easily at home and is a class horse, as we saw last season, and, though he has been cruising up to Pride In Battle on the bridle in the mornings, once that one blew up earlier I knew that my suspicions that Montbazon would need the race would prove correct.

“In the circumstances, he has run a smashing race, and he will now go novice hurdling. He has done plenty of schooling and he has got bags of toe, so we will stick to two miles for the time being.”

King is also targeting Secret Edge at the Grade One Finale Hurdle at Chepstow on December 27 after his fine run behind Hinterland at Cheltenham on Saturday.

“Secret Edge also ran well in the Juvenile Hurdle, finishing third to Hinterland, who is now favourite for the Triumph Hurdle,” he added.

“He is another winter ground horse and it usually comes up testing for Chepstow’s Welsh National meeting over Christmas, so the Finale Junior Hurdle there could be his race, though if he got his ground he could have another race beforehand.”