The Champion Hurdle aspirations of Defi Du Seuil rest on a prep-race next month, when he will attempt to leave behind the disappointment of his only outing so far this season. The previously unbeaten hurdler may have been suffering from some kind of infection at the time, his trainer, Philip Hobbs, said on Sunday, conceding there has been a similar problem with other horses at his Minehead base in the past month.
“His scopes, etcetera, weren’t quite right afterwards,” said Hobbs, reflecting on Defi Du Seuil’s poor showing at Ascot on 25 November, when the horse started at odds-on but finished fourth of five behind Lil Rockerfeller. “Whether that was the reason … It’s probable that it was but he seems in good form now. So we’re looking for a run somewhere before Cheltenham.
“I’d imagine he’ll run in February but I don’t have any plans about where, as yet. It needs to be discussed with the owners, obviously.”
Asked if Defi Du Seuil could still be a Champion Hurdle contender, Hobbs said: “He could be but he needs to run better than he did last time.” The five-year-old was the outstanding juvenile of last winter, his seven consecutive successes including the Triumph Hurdle by an impressive five lengths. He was a general 8-1 shot for March’s Champion Hurdle until his Ascot flop but is now available at 20-1. Hobbs’s runners have had few headline moments in this jumps season and he had only one winner from 41 runners in December, his weakest showing for that month since 1988. His most recent success came with Contented in a Sedgefield novice hurdle on 8 December.
“We’ve definitely had something in the yard. Having said that, since our last winner, which was three weeks ago, a long time for us, we’ve had seven seconds in that time. Had they been seven winners, you’d have said they were all flying. We have had a few that haven’t been right, though, as well.
“Be realistic, everyone has bugs at this time of year, it’s just a matter of how much and working round it. We’ve got six runners [at Cheltenham and Exeter on Monday], so that tells you there certainly are plenty of them that are OK but we’ve got a problem with a few.”
If Hobbs needs some moral support at Cheltenham on Monday, he could perhaps seek out his fellow trainer Alan King, who went through a frustrating period in November but now appears to be in form, with six winners in the past fortnight. King travels to Gloucestershire with his stable star, Yanworth, from whom he hopes to see a better round of jumping than when second at Newbury last time.
“He’s in good order and the schooling’s gone well,” King said. “He’s ready for another run and we’re getting 5lb from Willoughby Court, who beat us last time.”
King declines to make excuses for that defeat, though it could be argued Willoughby Court had the run of the race. “We made a few mistakes, which proved costly. Hopefully, it’ll be better this time.”
While King has been happy with the efforts of his recent runners, he expects to have a quiet period through January. “The horses had their vaccinations just before Christmas. Most of them won’t want the ground as soft as it’s going to be for the next month and hopefully it’ll be a bit better when they’re ready to go again.”
Steve Drowne ended his 27-year career as a jockey with victory on his last ride when Met By Moonlight scored at Lingfield. The filly is trained by Ron Hodges, who provided Drowne with a notable early success on Hard To Figure in the Great St Wilfrid of 1993.
Chris Cook’s New Year’s Day selections
Southwell
12.05 Watching Spirits 12.35 Helen Sherbet 1.10 Gabrial’s Star 1.45 Tilly Trotter 2.20 Florencio 2.55 Mama Africa 3.30 Mr Coco Bean
Cheltenham
12.15 Onefortheroadtom 12.50 Russe Blanc 1.25 Ballyandy 2.00 Sametegal 2.35 Red Rising 3.10 Agrapart 3.45 Romeo Brown
Catterick
12.25 Dieg Man 1.00 Today Please 1.35 Impulsive Star 2.10 Paper Roses 2.45 Weyburn (nap) 3.20 Bocasien Desbois
Musselburgh
12.30 Je Suis Charlie 1.05 Cresswell Legend 1.40 Max Ward 2.15 Dear Sire 2.50 Benny’s Secret 3.25 Misfits
Exeter
12.40 Another Crick 1.15 Dusky Lark 1.50 Storm Control (nb) 2.25 Western Climate 3.00 Report To Base 3.35 Lord Bryan 4.05 Summit Like Herbie
Fakenham
12.45 Vive Le Roi 1.20 Oakidoaki 1.55 Fixed Rate 2.30 Minella Gathering 3.05 Norse Light 3.40 Isis Blue
