Harry hopes for happy Haydock Affaire; whittington looks for improvement on merseyside.
Byline: CHRIS WRIGHT Racing reporter [email protected] @LIVECHOSPORTHARRY WHITTINGTON is hoping headgear and the return to handicap company can help Affaire D'Honneur bounce back to form at Haydock Park on Saturday.
The five-year-old is set to line up in the PS80,000 Grade Three Betfair Exchange "Fixed Brush" Handicap Hurdle on day two of the Betfair Chase Weekend on Merseyside.
Affaire d'Honneur ran with great credit last season when fourth in two of the toughest handicaps, behind Agrapart in the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury and then in the Imperial Cup at Sandown Park.
He returned with a workman-like success in a five-runner novices' hurdle contest at the start of last month at Fontwell before being a well-beaten fifth behind Movewiththetimes in a similar event at the same course a couple of weeks later.
But Lambourn-based Whittington is looking to see how his hurdler, who is currently a 16-1 chance with the sponsors for the 2m6f contest, gets on this weekend. He said: "Affaire D'Honneur is an intended runner on Saturday providing Haydock gets a drop more rain.
"I have been very happy with him since Fontwell. Those two runs have told us that he is not suited by a small field novice hurdle. Hopefully, Aidan Coleman, on Taquin Du Deuil, after they won the BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham last Saturday coming back into a big field handicap with a pair of cheekpieces will sharpen him up and help him travel better.
"He was dropped 5lb for his last run which gives us a chance if he comes back to the form he showed last season. It is worth stepping up in trip for a big pot like this. You can never be sure until they do it, but I don't see any reason why he won't stay. He relaxes well in his races and doesn't pull."
The market is currently headed by recent Carlisle scorer Two Taffs, from the Dan Skelton stable. He is a general 6-1 with Harry Fry's Unowhatimeanharry next best at 8-1. He is unbeaten in five starts for Fry and was last seen winning the Grade One Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Meanwhile, Aidan Coleman is pleased to be on standby should Richard Johnson be unable to take the ride on Coneygree in Haydock's feature event, the Grade One Betfair Chase on Saturday.
With regular rider Nico De Boinville out injured with a broken arm, the ride on the returning 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero is up for grabs.
Johnson is the preferred option of trainer Mark Bradstock and schooled the nine-year-old earlier in the week.
But should the champion jockey be required to ride Menorah for his boss Philip Hobbs in the three-mile contest, Bradstock will turn to Coleman, who won the BetVictor Gold Cup on Taquin Du Seuil at Cheltenham last Saturday.
The final declared field for the Betfair Chase - the first leg of the PS1million Chase Triple Crown - was set to be revealed this morning, and Coleman was waiting to see if he gets the leg up on Coneygree.
He said yesterday: "It's all down to Richard. We'll have to see what he does. I'm just delighted to be in the mix.
"We'll just have to see what Richard does. If something comes of it, brilliant. If not, well I'm very happy to be in that situation. We'll just have to see how the weekend unfolds."
Coneygree is currently the 9-4 second favourite for the Betfair Chase with the sponsors, Coral and BetVictor.
Colin Tizzard's Cue Card - a winner of the Betfair last year and in 2013 - is the best-priced 7-4 favourite with the sponsors.
The Betfair Chase is the first leg of the Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown.
Any horse who wins the Betfair Chase and then goes on to land the 32Red King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 17 will earn a bonus of PS1m.
In addition, a special Kauto Star Trophy will be presented to connections of any horse that completes the Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown.
The Kauto Star Trophy recognises the 10-year-anniversary of the great horse's achievement in becoming the first, and so far only, racehorse in history to win Britain's three Blue Riband staying chases in the same season (2006-7).
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Affaire D'Honneur (right) on the way to finishing fifth to Movewiththetimes (back centre) at Fontwell last month ALAN CROWHURST
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| Title Annotation: | Sport |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Liverpool Echo (Liverpool, England) |
| Date: | Nov 17, 2016 |
| Words: | 745 |
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