*CONNECTIONS MULL CHELTENHAM OPTIONS FOR IRIS ROYAL*
Meeting - The Open, Dates - Friday, November 16, Saturday, November 17 & Sunday, November 18
Admission Prices - Club/Tattersalls from £20 (£18 in advance), Best Mate from £8
Gates Open - 10am all days
First race - 12.45pm Friday, 12.55pm Saturday, 1.10pm Sunday
Irish trainer Henry de Bromhead is looking to unleash Omni Cosmo Touch in the £35,000 BGC Cross Country Steeplechase (2.30pm), over three miles and seven furlongs, as part of a four-pronged assault on The Open at Cheltenham, which takes place from Friday, November 16, to Sunday, November 18.
Friday is Countryside Day, with a traditional country fair atmosphere plus a dressage display, hound parades and over 80 trade stands offering something for everyone.
County Waterford-based de Bromhead revealed today: “I am hoping to run four horses at Cheltenham. Omni Cosmo Touch seems to be in great form and his first run back this season was very encouraging.
“He’s a little bit of a character and we put the cheek-pieces on to try and get him to concentrate. We have done a bit of hunting with him and just tried to change his routine, to keep him interested.
“Andrew Lynch rode him at Thurles and he will be on board again.”
Omni Cosmo Touch experienced the Cheltenham Cross Country Steeplechase course when fifth to Heads Onthe Ground at The Festival and then, on his first start for de Bromhead after leaving Sue Smith’s yard, came fourth to Spot Thedifference in the La Touche Cup at Punchestown in April. The 11-year-old warmed up for The Open when third over hurdles at Thurles on October 25.
De Bromhead continued: “Omni Cosmo Touch had his first spin over the Cross Country Steeplechase course in March, and he loved all the different fences. He was left at the start in the La Touche Cup at Punchestown and still ran a good race to finish fourth.
“I was very encouraged with how he jumped off at Thurles and if he does that again I would give him a live each way chance on Friday in the BGC Cross Country Steeplechase. He will certainly love the ground.”
Charlie Longsdon is looking forward to running the Sir Robert Ogden-owned Iris Royal at The Open on Friday in either the BGC Cross Country Steeplechase or the £25,000 Beards The Jewellers Cup (1.55pm) for amateur riders over an extended three miles.
The 11-year-old, successful in the Grade Three Boylesports.com Gold Cup at Cheltenham in December 2003 for Longsdon’s former boss Nicky Henderson, has already had a sighter of the unique cross country fences.
Longsdon said today: “Iris Royal schooled on the Cross Country Steeplechase course last week but we haven’t decided yet which race he runs in. We will see what the owner wants to do, so at the moment it is 50-50 between the amateur race on the same day and the Cross Country race.
“He loved the schooling session. After the first he was brilliant. He is an old pro, so I would like to think that he would take to it quite nicely.”
Iris Royal showed his well-being when, after racing prominently, he finished fifth to Mister Apple’s in the DNH Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase over an extended three miles and a furlong at The Showcase on October 19.
Longsdon reported: “He won the Boylesports.com Gold Cup four years ago and he probably should have won three weeks ago at the Cheltenham meeting when he slipped at the second-last. If he runs in that form again, whichever race he runs in, I would like to think he will run a very good race.
“If it is good ground, that would be perfect for him. He is a good-actioned horse and even though he won the Boylesports.com Gold Cup on softer ground, he has always been thought of as a good ground horse.”
The BGC Cross Country Steeplechase is a popular highlight on Friday, November 16, and has been won for the past three years by the remarkable Enda Bolger-trained Spot Thedifference, who is entered once again.
The JP McManus-owned 14-year-old is a great favourite with the Cheltenham crowd and is on target to bid for a remarkable seventh course victory, having won six of nine starts over the Cross Country Steeplechase course.
Spot Thedifference could be joined in the field by stablemates Freneys Well, whom he defeated into second-place when winning the La Touche Cup at Punchestown in April, and Moscow Maui, winner of a Tralee hunter chase in May.
The field could also include the Ferdy Murphy-trained Ivoire De Beaulieu, successful over the course in December 2005, and the same year’s John Smith’s Grand National runner-up Royal Auclair.
As well as Omni Cosmo Touch, de Bromhead’s team for The Open could include Sizing Europe in the £100,000 Grade Three Greatwood Hurdle (2.55pm) over an extended two miles, which is race eight in the Order Of Merit and run on the final day, Sunday, November 18.
The smart five-year-old, who is set to carry 11st 6lb, was travelling like the winner on his seasonal debut in a two and a quarter-mile Listed hurdle at Punchestown on October 17, before falling two out and leaving the race at the mercy of Aitmatov.
De Bromhead revealed today: “I was disappointed to see the weights go up so much in the Greatwood Hurdle, as I would have loved to see Sizing Europe run off a nice light weight.
“He is a horse I like a lot and he looked ring-rusty when he fell last time out at Punchestown, when it looked like he was going to run very well. I’ve done a serious amount of schooling with him since, and he schooled this morning before leaving for Cheltenham. I couldn’t be happier with him.
“He won on good ground at Punchestown and ran well on good to firm at Fairyhouse in April, so the ground shouldn’t be an issue for him.”
De Bromhead hopes to have two runners on Paddy Power Gold Cup Day, Saturday, November 17, with Oscillating Oscar engaged in the Ryman The Stationers Novices’ Handicap Hurdle (12.55pm) over an extended two miles and Sizing Australia set to take his chance in the Club 16-24 Novices’ Chase (1.30pm) over three miles and half a furlong.
The trainer continued: “Oscillating Oscar is a grand horse and I was pleased with his second at Thurles. That was his third run over hurdles, so he could be off a nice mark. He will love the ground. It is a shame that he may not get in the race, because I thought he might run well.
“Sizing Australia is a lovely horse. He might look a bit out of his depth on the official ratings, but he jumps and he stays. He would have an each-way chance, but it looks like it is going to be a competitive race. He was staying on well at the end on his last run at Thurles and the extra couple of furlongs will benefit him a lot.”
NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2007 CARTIER RACING AWARDS
SEB SANDERS & JAMIE SPENCER TO MEET UP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE SHARING THE JOCKEYS' CHAMPIONSHIP ON SATURDAY
The 2007 Cartier Racing Awards, European horseracing's equivalent of the Oscars, are announced at the stylish Awards' dinner held in the ballroom at the Four Seasons Hotel, Mayfair, London, UK, tomorrow evening (Wednesday, November 14).
The eight horse categories, Horse Of The Year, Top Older Horse, Top Stayer, Top Sprinter, Three-Year-Old Colt, Three-Year-Old Filly, Two-Year-Old Colt and Two-Year-Old Filly, are revealed to an invited international gathering of leading owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders, media and racing personalities, including Seb Sanders and Jamie Spencer, joint winners of the thrilling British jockeys' championship which ended in dramatic fashion on Saturday.
The equine awards, which honour the best horses of a tremendous 2007 Flat season, are decided by a well-established method, involving a combination of points achieved in Pattern races, the views of racing journalists on Cartier's Racing Panel and votes from readers of Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph. The Pattern races count towards 40 per cent of the total for each award, with the Cartier Racing Panel's deliberations also having a 40 per cent share and the votes of the newspaper readers making up the final 20 per cent.
The 2007 Cartier Racing Panel is made up of chairman Brough Scott (The
Sunday Telegraph), Marcus Armytage (The Daily Telegraph), Graham Dench
(Racing Post), Chris McGrath (The Independent) and Julian Muscat (The
Times).
The nominations for each category this year are as follows:
Cartier Horse of the Year - Authorized, Dylan Thomas, Manduro, Peeping Fawn, Ramonti
The Cartier Racing Awards, now in their 17th year, are recognised as the most prestigious within European horseracing.
Last year's event before an invited audience of nearly 300 saw Cartier
Racing Awards won by the very popular Ouija Board, subject of a book this year by her owner the Earl of Derby, Finsceal Beo, who captured two Classics during 2007 and was beaten a head in a third, the great stayer Yeats, unbeaten Teofilo, top filly Mandesha, sprinter Reverence and George Washington, who gained a Cartier Racing Award for the second year running.
Finsceal Beo and Yeats both have the chance to claim a second Cartier Racing Award tomorrow night.
In addition to the eight horse awards, the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award Of Merit will be presented to the person or persons who, in the opinion of the special 20-strong Cartier Jury, has/have done most for European racing and/or breeding either over their lifetime or within the past 12 months.
The list of past winners of the Daily Telegraph Award of Merit is as
follows; Peter Willett, Henry Cecil, David & Patricia Thompson, Lord Oaksey, Prince Khalid Abdullah, John Magnier, His Highness the Aga Khan, Peter Walwyn, the Head Family, Sir Peter O'Sullevan, Frankie Dettori, John Dunlop, the Marquess of Hartington, Francois Boutin, Lester Piggott and Henri Chalhoub.
The 2007 Cartier Jury is made up of Michael Bell, Charlie Brooks, Alan
Byrne, the Earl of Derby, Mike Dillon, Ed Dunlop, Douglas Erskine-Crum, Rod Fabricius, Philip Freedman, Tom Goff, Lord Grimthorpe, Simon Marsh, Jim McGrath, Sir Peter O'Sullevan, Leo Powell, Ruth Quinn, Sam Sheppard, Brough Scott, Sir David Sieff and Howard Wright.
The Cartier Racing Awards were established in 1991 to recognise excellence in the racehorse.
Details of the 2007 Cartier Racing Awards' winners will be made available to the media on an embargoed basis tomorrow morning, Wednesday, November 14.
Winners must not be contacted as they do not know they have won.
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