Two of the best hunter chasers on either side of the Irish Sea are set to make their season’s reappearance in British point-to-points next week.
This article first appeared in the Racing Post on Friday 22nd December.
Premier Magic (pictured above), who won this year’s St James’s Place Festival Hunters’ Chase at Cheltenham, heads to Chaddesley Corbett on Thursday, while Famous Clermont, who landed Aintree’s Randox Foxhunters’ Chase at the Grand National meeting, is booked for Larkhill on New Year’s Eve. Both horses have BHA ratings of 142, the same as the Paul Nicholls-trained Secret Investor, although it is likely a classy chaser with a higher mark will join the hunter chase scene and be aimed at Cheltenham.
Famous Clermont after his Aintree win (Carl Evans)
The Bradley Gibbs-trained Premier Magic is one of 18 entries in Chaddesley Corbett’s men’s open race, a contest he won two years ago when beating that year’s Cheltenham winner Porlock Bay. It was an insult to Premier Magic that he started at 66-1 when winning the Cheltenham race, but he had run poorly in it the previous year when hating racing behind a wall of rivals.
One year later, ridden near the front and wide of the field, he was a different horse. Gibbs, who trains in Hertfordshire, says of next week’s reappearance: “I’ve had a tremendous run with him, with no problems and two or three away days in Newmarket. I’ve mapped out a plan, involving two point-to-points and then back to Cheltenham. He feels as good as ever.”
Gibbs has been in Premier Magic’s saddle in all but one of his 18 races (12 wins), but he has not ridden this point-to-point season and was non-committal when asked if he would don colours next week.
‘Anyone who wants to visit a quality point-to-point should go to Chaddesley Corbett on Thursday.’ That’s my view, but also a quote by Britain’s champion point-to-point trainer Tom Ellis, who adds: “It promises to be a cracker.” Warwickshire-based Ellis rolls out two hugely exciting young guns at the meeting, namely six-year-old Fairly Famous, who will be ridden by his wife Gina Andrews in the ladies’ open race, and seven-year-old I’m Spellbound, the mount of her brother Jack in the intermediate contest.
Fairly Famous (right) winning at Horseheath last season (Neale Blackburn)
Fairly Famous was an impressive hunter chase winner at Cheltenham in May and is being tuned for a Festival run. Ellis says: “He’s pretty fit and has done plenty of work, but his big day is in March. I’m pleased he can run in the ladies’ race, carry 11st and avoid last year’s champion [Premier Magic] on his first start of the season.
“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves with I’m Spellbound. I think he will prefer better ground than he will get next week, but he gallops on soft at home and Jack is very, very keen on him. It’s a tremendous intermediate race, and pretty much any horse could win. We are having to give 12lb to Regatta De Blanc, who is race fit and clearly talented.”
Comley’s yard in form
Max Comley travelled from Gloucestershire to Alnwick in Northumberland on Sunday and trained his first double, which quickly became a treble.
Max Comley: in form (Carl Evans)
He says: “It was fantastic, and so nice to have the yard in good form.” Comley, in his sixth season training pointers, has entered Arknell in the older-horse maiden race at Chaddesley Corbett, but also at meetings on New Year’s Eve. He says: “I’ll look at each race to find the best opportunity.”
The young-horse maiden could throw up a smart prospect. Kelly Morgan won a similar race at Alnwick and her Jumper Watt is interesting, while ex-Irish pointers Crocodile Lounge and Rushmount Boys have to be considered.
No Dice, owned by clerk of the course Jim Squires, is a recent winner but faces talented rivals in the intermediate race, while the mare Highway Jewel will start favourite for the conditions race, but faces no easy task. Soldier Of Love, a useful chaser when with Paul Nicholls, would be a danger, but is not a certain runner, says Herefordshire trainer Jo Priest, who saddled a double at the course earlier this month.
David Brace’s Looksnowtlikebrian, one of the stars of last season when winning five times, and Sian Brooke’s recent course winner Hung Jury are each entered in two races at the meeting. The last-named could make Premier Magic work hard if tackling the men’s open race.
THURSDAY (Dec 28)
Chaddesley Corbett, Worcs, DY10 4QT – first race 11.00. 7 races, 111 entries
SUNDAY (Dec 31)
Horseheath, Cambs, CB21 4QP – 11.30. 7 races, 95 entries
Larkhill, Wiltshire, SP4 8AT – 11.00. 7 races, 120 entries
More information at pointtopoint.co.uk & gopointing.com
