Barry Geraghty hopes to take part in the Cheltenham Festival in just over a fortnight’s time, despite cracking a rib and suffering a collapsed lung in a fall on Charli Parcs here on Saturday. The jockey went to St George’s Hospital in Tooting for assessment after taking a hoof to the stomach as he lay on the landing side of the second-last hurdle.
“Charli Parcs just stepped at the flight and came down,” Geraghty told At The Races on Saturday evening. “I got a bit of a kicking from Harry Skelton’s horse Bedrock, who was coming behind us. The prognosis is not too bad. I have a slightly collapsed lung and a cracked rib, and the doctors are hopeful that I will be able to be back in time for the Cheltenham Festival. I’m hopeful, too.”
That the Irishman had taken a knock was immediately apparent as he took plenty of time to get to his feet after the fall at the second-last in the Adonis Hurdle. The 37-year-old jockey raised himself to one knee and remained like that for some time before being assisted to an ambulance.
Geraghty must be fit by 14 March if he wants to compete at the Festival, where his 34 career successes make him the second most successful jockey now riding, behind only Ruby Walsh. He has had at least one winner at the mid-March meeting in each year since 2002, when Moscow Flyer carried him to Arkle Trophy glory.
The jockey’s injury was one of a number of difficult moments for Nicky Henderson on this day of Festival prep-races. His 10 runners produced a single victory, while Charli Parcs was one of two of his that were sent off at odds-on but failed. Cocktails At Dawn, Henderson’s Grand National candidate, fell and was said to be “quite sore” by the trainer, while his veteran Triolo D’Alene was retired after fracturing his pelvis early in the same race.
Charli Parcs doubled in price for the Triumph from 7-1 to 14-1 and it now seems likely that Geraghty will choose to ride Defi Du Seuil in the McManus silks in that race, assuming that both horses and the jockey are able to take part. Even before he fell Charli Parcs had looked in trouble, being driven along by Geraghty from the home turn, but he was fighting his way into the argument when falling and the trainer is not disposed to give up just yet.
“He turned into the straight and he’s going to finish fifth or sixth and he’s off the bridle,” Henderson said. “By the time he got to the second-last, he was actually upsides and back on the bridle. But I really need to talk to Barry. The horse is OK and there’s no point ruling anything in or anything out, if the horse is all right in the morning. The last thing in the world you want to do, as a prep race, is to go and do that.”
The Adonis was won impressively by Master Blueyes, who has made a tonne of recent progress according to his trainer, Alan King. The grey came home 11 lengths clear and is 14-1 from 33s for the Triumph.
Henderson’s success came in the Dovecote with River Wylde, in which it was the turn of Paul Nicholls to be disappointed as his favourite, Capitaine, faded tamely away. River Wylde runs in the same colours as Lough Derg Spirit and one of them is expected to line up in the Supreme, the Festival’s opening race, but the trainer and owners have yet to decide which one.
The brightest moment in Henderson’s day came before racing started, when he galloped three of his best horses for a full circuit. Josses Hill, a Ryanair entrant, made the running but was made to look one-paced as Brain Power and Peace And Co shot past him in the straight.
“That’s exactly what I wanted and hoped for,” said Henderson, committing Brain Power to the Champion Hurdle, for which he is 8-1 fourth-favourite. “Brain Power was great. He’s exactly where he wants to be. He’s hardly had a blow.” The trainer was also gratified to see the 2015 Triumph winner, Peace And Co, settling nicely rather than indulging in the hard-pulling antics that have undermined his more recent efforts. He may now aim at Sandown’s Imperial Cup on the Saturday before the Festival, with the possibility of another run at Cheltenham if all went well.
The low-profile combination of Neil Mulholland and James Best took the big betting race, the BetBright Handicap Chase, with the 25-1 shot Pilgrims Bay. The horse was described as “quirky” by both men, explaining the exaggerated waiting tactics used by Best, who went for the lead two strides before the final fence and even then feared he may have gone too soon. On this occasion, Pilgrims Bay looked resolute, though he dropped a shoulder soon after crossing the line and gave Best an undeserved tumble.
Sunday’s tips, by Chris Cook
Fontwell
2.00 Kilcrea Vale 2.30 Johns Luck (nb) 3.00 Different Gravey 3.30 Sir Anthony Browne 4.00 Mon Parrain 4.30 Ding Ding 5.00 Golden Sunrise
Southwell
2.10 Unzing 2.40 Celtic Tune (nap) 3.10 Shantou Rock 3.40 The Wexfordian 4.10 Kelvingrove 4.40 Classico Dais 5.10 My Mate Mark
