UNFORTUNATELY we have decided that Champ will not go over to Ireland for the Savills Chase over Christmas quite simply because he isn’t quite ready and I don’t want to run him just for the sake of it. His work has been good and he schooled beautifully yesterday but he had lots of time off after his wind operation and he’s just been a little slower to come to hand than I would have liked. It does rather leave us with quite a quandary as to where we do go with him and races like the Cotswold Chase would have to come into the equation but that is where I want to go with Santini and I don’t really want to wait until the Denman Chase in February so I’ll have a chat with JP and Frank and we will form a plan. Obviously it’s very disappointing and I want to see him out as much as the next man, but it would be foolish to risk him when he’s not ready so we’ll wait for another day.

Altior and Epatante worked together this morning and both were excellent and they remain on course for Kempton.

SATURDAY – ASCOT

1:15 Graduation Chase

Caribean Boy (Daryl Jacob)

He slightly surprised me with the way he won at Newbury last time because he’s a big burly horse so I thought he’d need it, but as it was he was very good. He likes soft ground so we shouldn’t have any worries here and he’s come out of Newbury absolutely bouncing. We are now out of Novice Grade and into Graduation Company but this is the natural step and I’m hopeful he can continue on an upward curve. It’s a decent race and Itchy Feet is a good horse but Caribean is in great form at home and I’m looking forward to getting him out again.

Buzz
Allart
Caribean Boy

Trainer Nicky Henderson shares his thoughts on three of his runners at @Ascot this week

✍️ Keep an eye out for @SevenBarrows daily blogs where he'll share his thoughts on the rest of his runners pic.twitter.com/uCO8Sc9yBD

— Unibet Racing (@UnibetRacing) December 17, 2020

1:50 Handicap Chase

Mengli Khan (Nico de Boinville)

He entertains me enormously because he’s a giant of a horse who definitely makes his presence felt and tanks himself around the place but he’s got a lot of ability. He has worn plenty of head gear down the years and I spoke to Gordon Elliot at Yorton yesterday and he said that he doesn’t really need any of it, it just keeps him guessing, so we are starting straight from scratch and leaving everything off – we’ll probably have it all back on again next time but we think it might be worth a try first time out for us and it will be really interesting to see how he performs. 

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3:00 Handicap Chase

Beware The Bear (Jerry McGrath)

He ran his usual excellent race in the Ladbroke at Newbury last time and seems in good form at home. This small field will play even more to his strengths and the ground won’t be an issue. This will more than likely be his last run before we put him away for the Grand National. 

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3:35 G3 Handicap Hurdle

Buzz (Nico de Boinville)

He probably won a little bit too far at Ascot last time because he’s taken a real hike in the weights but I suppose that was expected and there was nothing Nico could do during the race because he was pretty much left in front. He has lots of experience from the flat and handles this ground which is a big plus. He has been working very well at home and goes there with an obvious favourite’s chance. Unibet's 15 To Go offer will be LIVE on this race! Check it out here.

Time Flies By (Aidan Coleman)

This is his first Handicap and he’s a horse who will be going chasing in the future, but I think there is definitely a decent race in him and while he wants further, stamina will definitely come into play in a race like this so I certainly wouldn’t be writing him off. Unibet's 15 To Go offer will be LIVE on this race! Check it out here.