RACING:CHINA ROCK will have the assistance of Barry Geraghty when he attempts to bridge a 30-year gap for Ireland in Saturday's Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury
Geraghty had been linked with the Nicky Henderson Burton Port for the Hennessy but would have had to put up overweight and Andrew Tinkler will ride that horse instead.
“I can’t do 10st so it looks like I will be on China Rock. He carries 10st 4lb which is the lowest I can do anyway,” Geraghty said yesterday. “He ran a good race the last day so I’d be hopeful he’d run well on Saturday.”
The Irish jockey was on board China Rock when the Mouse Morris-trained horse ran third to Kauto Star at Down Royal earlier this month.
Bright Highway is the last Irish trained winner in the Hennessy record books due to his win in 1980. The Willie Mullins-trained Be My Royal was first past the post eight years ago but was subsequently disqualified for failing a dope test.
Vedette hopes to get one over on boys
SOLWHIT AND Hurricane Fly may be the headline names going into Sunday's Fairyhouse winter festival feature but Voler La Vedette will be hoping to get one over on the boys for her trainer Colm Murphy.
The sole mare left among the 13 entries for the Bar One Racing Hatton's Grace Hurdle has ground to make up on Solwhit from the Morgiana earlier this month but the €85,000 highlight has form when it comes to victories for the fairer sex.
Solerina pulled off a memorable hat-trick from 2003 to 2005 and Murphy is banking on the two-and-a-half-mile trip playing to Voler La Vedette's strengths.
"She stays really well, in fact I think she could get three miles. But she has to settle. She did that at Punchestown and she was closing on Solwhit all the way to the line," the Co Wexford-based trainer said yesterday.
Barry Geraghty, who rides Murphy's two-mile chase champion, Big Zeb, is likely to be on board Voler La Vedette again this weekend. "You have to be realistic. She has ground to make up on Solwhit. But she deserves to take her chance and I don't think the trip will be any kind of worry to her," Murphy added.
Solwhit has been installed an evens favourite by some bookmakers to secure a seventh Grade One success in his career and it will be a first attempt at two and a half miles since the Charles Byrnes-trained star landed his first top-flight victory in last year's Aintree Hurdle. Byrnes gave an upbeat bulletin on his stable star yesterday and said: "He is in very good form at the moment and we are looking forward to Sunday."
Hurricane Fly is the shortest priced Irish-trained horse in ante-post betting for March's Champion Hurdle and all his recent form is over the minimum trip. However, Willie Mullins has pointed out how the son of Montjeu has winning from over a trip just short of two and a half miles from France as a four-year-old.
Two former winners of the Hatton's Grace are possible starters on Sunday as Aitmatov (2007) and last year's hero Oscar Dan Dan remain among the entries after yesterday's five-day forfeit stage.
Although it doesn't apply to any of the three Grade One races on Sunday, a safety limit of 16 has been put in place for all races at Fairyhouse over the weekend due to alterations to the track. "It is so we have enough safe ground over the two days. It's a question of space," said the Fairyhouse manager Peter Roe yesterday.
A total of 10 entries remain in the Drinmore Chase, including the former novice hurdle champion Mikael D'Haguenet who will race for the first time in over 18 months but who is also unbeaten in six starts for Willie Mullins. "We schooled him last week and he went very well. Paul (Townend) was thrilled with the way he jumped," the champion trainer said yesterday.
Lining up against him on Sunday will be Gordon Elliott's impressive Galway scorer Jessie's Dream and the trainer said yesterday: "He won nicely and he has come on for the run. We're hoping he runs a good race."
