Friday,October 29, 2004
ROOSTER BOOSTER HEADS FANTASTIC ENTRY FOR GREATWOOD HURDLE
Last year's Smurfit Champion Hurdle winner Rooster Booster is among 39 high-class entries for the £70,000 Greatwood Hurdle over an extended two miles at Cheltenham on Sunday, November 14 - the last day of The Open.
This is the second year that this contest has been supported by Barbury Castle Estate in Wiltshire.
Rooster Booster won the race by nine lengths from Quazar in 2002 when it was known as the Rehabilitation Of Racehorses Handicap Hurdle and the Philip Hobbs-trained gelding returned to Prestbury Park four months later to capture the Smurfit Champion Hurdle by 11 lengths from Westender, who himself won this race the previous season.
Rooster Booster is held in such high esteem by Cheltenham Racecourse that it has created a raceday package named after the popular grey. The Rooster Booster' Raceday Admission Package is available this season and for an all-inclusive £44, a racegoer receives admission to Tattersalls, a racecard, £16 worth of totepool betting vouchers, £16 worth of food and refreshment vouchers and a Cheltenham gift.
Hobbs has also entered Forever Dream, who thoroughly deserves a success having finished runner-up on four occasions before falling at the fourth obstacle in Wednesday's Club 16-24 Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The Charles Egerton-trained Valance was a length and a half runner-up to Calatagan in that race and he could bid to make quick amends at Cheltenham.
Rigmarole is another past winner who could bid for back-to-back victories for Paul Nicholls. Last season he was driven out by Ruby Walsh to get the better of Caracciola and returned to Cheltenham the following month to record another big-race victory in the totesport Bula Hurdle by a length from Davenport Milenium.
Sporazene, Perouse, who won the C.F.R. Group (Electrical Services) Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2003 by four lengths from Shalako, and Albuhera, the winner of last year's Jewson Handicap Hurdle Final at Prestbury Park, could also represent Nicholls.
The Edward O'Grady-trained Back In Front is among the nine Irish-trained entries. The seven-year-old won the 2003 Letheby & Christopher Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Al Eile, trained by John Queally, is another decent entry from the Emerald Isle. He took the equivalent of the Jet UK Cotswold Juvenile Novices' Hurdle at this meeting last year, readily denying Web Perceptions by nine lengths, and then subsequently won a Grade Two four-year-old novices' hurdle at Aintree, beating JCB Triumph Hurdle hero Made In Japan by three-quarters of a length.
Champion trainer Martin Pipe has six representatives including exciting novice Marcel, winner of his last six starts, Westender, Copeland, who won this year's Scottish Champion Hurdle by five lengths from Benbyas, and Lough Derg, a six-length winner at Cheltenham in April. Manx Royal and Papillon De Iena complete the master of Nicholashayne's powerful squad.
The Greatwood Hurdle is one of 63 races involved in the British Horseracing Board's new Order of Merit competition. The connections of the overall winner with the most points throughout the season will receive £200,000 - 75% to the owner, 12.5% to the trainer and the same again to the stable staff.
The winner of the Greatwood Hurdle, as a Grade Three event, will score 10 points while horses placed second to eighth will be allocated points on a sliding scale down to one point for eighth.
Helen Yeadon, Founder of Greatwood, said: "As a charity, Greatwood is proud to be associated with this fabulous race, which helps us to raise the profile of what we do in caring for ex-racehorses in need."
The Open runs over three days, from Friday, November 12, to Sunday, November 14 inclusive, at Cheltenham, the home of National Hunt racing.
The Open (Friday, Saturday & Sunday, November 12-14) comprises three days which herald the moment when Jump Racing takes centre stage and people gather to celebrate top quality steeplechasing and hurdle racing. Each day has its own character and together they form an irresistible package. In recent years horses have travelled over from Ireland, France, Norway and the Czech Republic.
Sunday, November 14, features the £70,000 Greatwood Hurdle and sporting activities between members of Club 16-24 and the Young Farmers' Clubs.
Friday/Sunday admission prices are Club/Tattersalls: £20 (£18 in advance); Group Rate (15 or more): £16; 16-24s: £12; Best Mate: £6; Rooster Booster Raceday Package: £44 and Best Mate Raceday Package: £22.
Saturday's admission prices are Club: £30 (£22 in advance); Tattersalls: £20 (£18 in advance); Group Rate (15 or more): £16; Tattersalls seat: £15; 16-24s: £15; Best Mate: £10 (£8 in advance); Group Rate (15 or more): £7; Rooster Booster Raceday Package: £44 and Best Mate Raceday Package: £24.
THE GREATWOOD HANDICAP HURDLE
Grade 3, Class A, £70,000 Total Prize Fund, Cheltenham, 2.40pm, Sunday, November 14, 2004. For 4yo+, 2m 110yds. Penalties: after October 30, a winner of a Class A to C race 6lb. Entries closed Wednesday, October 27. Entries released Friday, October 29 (39 entries). Weights revealed Wednesday, November 3. Five-day declaration stage Monday, November 8. Final declaration stage 10.00am Friday, November 12. Form figures supplied by Weatherbys and are correct up to and including the racing of Thursday, October 28. May not include some overseas form.
Form Horse Age Owner Trainer
115-112 ACCORDION ETOILE (IRE) 5 Banjo Syndicate Paul Nolan IRE
11201-0 AL EILE (IRE) 4 M A Ryan John Queally IRE
151002- ALBUHERA (IRE) 6 D J & F A Jackson Paul Nicholls
12/1602- ALTAY 7 R M Jeffs & J Potter Richard Fahey
1/12215- BACK IN FRONT (IRE) 7 Nelius Hayes Edward O'Grady IRE
11303/3- CHAUVINIST (IRE) 9 Mrs E Roberts & Nick Roberts Nicky Henderson
41223-0 CHIEF YEOMAN 4 B Moore & E C Stephens Venetia Williams
40301-0 COPELAND 9 Professor D Silk & Mrs Heather Silk Martin Pipe
2150-15 DAD'S ELECT (GER) 5 A L R Morton Charlie Mann
0101-01 DALARAM (IRE) 4 Andrea & Graham Wylie Howard Johnson
3142-1P DEFINATE SPECTACLE (IRE) 4 Mrs P Sloan Noel Meade IRE
214P-3 DICTUM (GER) 6 Camilla & Rosie Nock Susan Nock
11-3 ESSEX (IRE) 4 BPS Syndicate Michael O'Brien IRE
11- EXOTIC DANCER (FR) 4 Sir Robert Ogden Jonjo O'Neill
2U12-13 FLYING SPIRIT (IRE) 5 Richard Green (Fine Paintings) Gary Moore
312-222 FOREVER DREAM 6 W McKibbin & A Stevens Philip Hobbs
24112-4 FUNDAMENTAL 5 D N Green Jonjo O'Neill
05/21P0- GEOS (FR) 9 Thurloe Finsbury Nicky Henderson
315- GRANDE JETE (SAF) 7 L Westwood A Chandler J J Hindley Nicky Henderson
1450-03 HOWLE HILL (IRE) 4 Mrs J Brown, R Benton, R Devereux & R Lucas Alan King
11116- KING REVO (IRE) 4 Dick Renwick & Mrs C Barclay Pat Haslam
121- LINGO (IRE) 5 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill
11521- LOUGH DERG (FR) 4 W Frewen Martin Pipe
P-11 MANX ROYAL (FR) 5 James and Antoinette Kennedy Martin Pipe
311111 MARCEL (FR) 4 David Johnson Martin Pipe
150-01 MONJOYAU (FR) 4 J P McManus Edward O'Grady IRE
6243-11 NAWAMEES (IRE) 6 Paul Stamp Gary Moore
310- PAPILLON DE IENA (FR) 4 Joe Moran Martin Pipe
11220P- PEROUSE 6 J Dickson & S McVie Paul Nicholls
442010 PORTANT FELLA 5 Portant Fellas Syndicate Joanna Morgan IRE
3113-0 POWER ELITE (IRE) 4 D P Sharkey Noel Meade IRE
11102-1 RIGMAROLE 6 Mr & Mrs Mark Woodhouse Paul Nicholls
21222-2 ROOSTER BOOSTER 10 Terry Warner Philip Hobbs
23010-1 SPORAZENE (IRE) 5 Ged Mason Paul Nicholls
23F13-3 THE KOP END (IRE) 6 J P McManus Christy Roche IRE
12-3133 TORRID KENTAVR (USA) 7 Graeme Redpath Brian Ellison
11110-2 TROUBLE AT BAY (IRE) 4 Nigel Bunter Alan King
1F- VALANCE (IRE) 4 M Haynes, A & J Allison, J Weatherby Charles Egerton
533-52R WESTENDER (FR) 8 Matt Archer & Jean Broadhurst Martin Pipe
39 entries
9 Irish-trained entries
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