WITH regards to Santini, everybody saw the video I posted on twitter on Wednesday and after two very good days we thought everything was fine and we were through it but unfortunately he wasn’t as good this morning and the issue has reared its ugly again so we’ve had to remove the shoe and put a poultice back on his foot. It is 100% the foot, and absolutely nothing else, but because we’ve had to continue riding him it’s obviously jigged it up again which has not helped. It’s a very common issue and in any normal circumstance, you’d give them a few days off to allow the foot to heal and then carry on, but because we are in a race against time with four/five days to go we’ve had to crack on which has lead us back here. I think we are better than going back to square one and I’m hoping the poultice does its job as I really did think we’d seen the end of the problem but we obviously haven’t. The team are doing their very best and I am still hopeful that we will get there in time. Any further updates will follow. 

 

Runners at three meetings this weekend and my thoughts on their chances are below.

 

SANDOWN – SATURDAY

 

1:50 Novices’ Handicap Hurdle

Mill Green (Ned Curtis)

I was extremely pleased with his comeback run at Fakenham behind our other horse Pistol Whipped when he was carrying a double penalty and he’ll definitely be sharper for that outing. This looks a highly competitive race but he’s been in good form at home and Ned knows him well. Whether he’s quite up to winning off his mark, only time will tell and I’m not sure how soft he’d want the ground, but he’s going the right way and should hopefully run a decent race.

Before Midnight (Nico De Boinville)

He’s had a good season and done nothing wrong and this race has always been the objective. The trip will really suit, although I am a little concerned about the ground. He did win his Bumper on soft but I don’t think it was the strongest race there so he does have to prove himself on it in this company. Everybody is very much in the same boat in the fact that we’ve all been running around on much faster ground and now all of a sudden the rain has arrived and not many of us have raced on soft ground this season. I think a mark of 128 (compared to Mill Green on 132) is quite nice as I think he could still be improving.

 

2:25 Imperial Cup

Call Me Lord (Daryl Jacob)

As you all know, options with him are limited because he has to go right handed so this is the logical race for him. He was extremely unlucky not to win last year and has a lot more weight this time around but I thought he ran an excellent race at Ascot and absolutely loves it around Sandown and will go on the ground. He hasn’t raced for a bit but worked well on Monday with Altior and Countister and while he has a lot of weight he’s a classy horse who is big enough to carry it.

Dream Du Grand Val (Nico de Boinville)

Yes, he’s a novice but that doesn’t preclude us from running in races like this and plenty of novices have won this before. He’s got lots of experience from France and won well up at Kelso the other day so I think he’s entitled to run a big race on ground that will suit.

 

HEREFORD

 

2:15 Novices’ Hurdle 2m4f

Jen’s Boy (James Bowen)

He’s a well bred son of Malinas who is going the right way but Alan King’s runner could be very tough to beat and our horse will be much better suited when handicapping. He is progressing but taking plenty of time.

 

WARWICK – SUNDAY

 

5:30 Bumper

Chantry House (Barry Geraghty)

We pulled him out of Kempton and Newbury last week because the ground was too quick but we’ve had plenty of rain over the last few days so we should finally be ok. As I said in my blog last week, Chantry House is a horse we think an awful lot of hence I’ve not wanted to risk him unnecessarily. His work has been very good and he’s done everything I’ve asked of him at home so I’m quite confident he can finally get off the ground this week.

CHELTENHAM STABLE TOUR 2019

Trainer @SevenBarrows on Angels Breath and Mister Fisher

View the full tour https://t.co/CQ5Yho69ZJ#RoadToCheltenham pic.twitter.com/2qMlJEHcO9

— Unibet Racing (@UnibetRacing) March 8, 2019

 

QUESTIONS TO @SEVENBARROWS

 

@james_lt95

Hi Nicky, where would Santini fit in comparison to Bob’s Worth?

Bob’s Worth was a very small terrier-like horse whereas Santini is a much more vast, big, great moving person who is very powerful so they are quite different in stature. To be fair, Bob’s Worth won an Albert Bartlett and Santini was placed on it last year so on the form lines they are probably quite similar.

 

@scott-lofthouse

How confident are you with Epatante?

I can never be confident but she is a mare we all really like and I see that, sadly for connections, Honeysuckle can’t run so that does at least make our task easier as she looked one of our major opposition. I think this is a race where we are very strong as I also saddle Lust For Glory, Elusive Belle and Daphne Du Clos who are all very smart fillies. I’ve always liked Epatante and we have deliberately campaigned her this way by winning small races so she doesn’t pick up a penalty because that does not help us in a race like this.

 

@KevMcAlley

Janika’s chance in the Plate?

Hello Kevin. I’m surprised he’s as short a price he is because it’s looking highly likely that he’ll have to carry top weight. It doesn’t look so bad if you look at the race at the moment but I don’t think many of those above him are going to run so when it comes to it we could end up giving weight all round, obviously I hope those above him do run, otherwise he faces a tough task.

 

@Patrick_981

Which one of your intended runners (at Cheltenham) do you expect to have come on the most from their last run? Best of luck at the Festival.

Thank you Patrick. I think you would have to say Angels Breath will improve the most.

 

@_AdamConway

Without Altior, who’s your best chance at a winner and why?

I am extremely lucky that we have lots of chances but the ones that immediately spring to mind are Champ, Birchdale and Epatante. I’m not saying they will all win, so don’t blame me if they get beaten! But on what they have shown so far, I think they have fantastic chances.

 

@ReadTheForm

Many ‘know all’ pundits are claiming Altior would win the King George but I’m not so sure. I think 3m will stretch him. Any plans to step him up in distance and if so, which race would you be targeting?

I think he probably would stay three miles as you can switch him off and go to sleep at the back of the pack, which you can do with him because he’s got a very good head for that sort of thing. We could go up to 2m4f at Aintree but that isn’t real going to tell us anything because it probably wouldn’t be an enormous test and the only thing we want to concentrate on at the moment is winning the Champion Chase and then we can think about the future. He could turn up in the King George but I can’t see him running in the Gold Cup so we’d have to come back to the Champion Chase so it makes you think what’s the point in stepping up in trip to go back down again? Many pundits have said he isn’t a true great until he’s won over 2m, 3m and 4m, but when you’re winning Champion Chases and Celebration Chases why go somewhere else whey you have those races?

 

@LawNatureslaw

Hi Nicky, I’m having my mortgage on Champ! For a horse to run away with the jockey like he did at Newbury and still win is a but special in my book. Would you put me off in any way?

I hope not. I don’t think he’s a banker or anything like that and a lot of people are picking holes in the Challow form and saying it didn’t take much winning and that the stats are against him but the horse doesn’t know that. What I do know is that he is a very good animal who must have a fantastic chance.

 

@HarryCoxon

Is Pentland Hills running in the Triumph.

Yes, that is very much the plan at this stage.

 

@NNScene

Pym for the Martin Pipe?

We were discussing it this morning and it’s possible although I’m not convinced he’s ready for a race like that just yet. Nico thinks he needs minding a bit and looking after but we schooled him this morning and he’s in good form. He’ll remain in the entries anyway.

 

@Ben910891

Morning Nicky, how is Whisper? Are we likely to see him this season.

It’s possible although he hasn’t come back to Seven Barrows yet but I think the plan is for him to return after Cheltenham. He is working down at Dai Walters’ yard and everyone tells me he is in good form. Where we go with him this season is difficult to predict but I think it will still do him good to come into full training for a while rather than take the whole year out and if we can’t find anything this season, we can kick on with him nice and early next season.

 

@Dazma

Does James Bowen ride Mister Fisher?

Yes.

 

@Samlee1991

What will be your first drink on Tuesday when you celebrate winning another Supreme and Unibet Champion Hurdle?

Water of course as I’ll still have a lot more runners to saddle!

 

Don’t forget to keep following us @sevenbarrows and @unibetracing to keep up to date with the latest from the stable and I’ll be writing daily blogs throughout the whole of the Cheltenham Festival.