Sandown-bound racegoers can still hope to see Douvan on Saturday, as the exciting young chaser is one of eight horses put in the Tingle Creek at Monday’s entry stage. The top-class two-mile contest has been reopened to further entries until Tuesday morning under rules intended to encourage larger field sizes but the mere possibility of bumping into Douvan is likely to make many owners feel they would be wasting their time in the Esher race.
Unbeaten in his past 11 races, including five Grade Ones over fences, the six-year-old Douvan has seemingly limitless potential. There is widespread expectation he may prove the best horse trained by Willie Mullins, the dominant force in jump racing in recent years.
However, the betting market appears to expect Mullins will rely on the 5-2 shot Un De Sceaux, saving Douvan, available at 5-1, for an alternative target closer to home, possibly at Punchestown a week on Sunday. It would be like Mullins to seek a straightforward reappearance outing for one of his stable stars, rather than taking on a top-class field in another country. Douvan could then contribute to Mullins’ defence of his title as Irish champion trainer, in which contest he is facing a determined challenge from Gordon Elliott.
As is his habit, Mullins indicated a decision would be left until the time when it must be made. “It will be another couple of days,” he told the Racing Post.
Gary Moore could be double-handed in the Tingle Creek, which he won last year with Sire De Grugy. The chestnut will line up again, having recently returned to winning form with a handicap success at Ascot, while Moore could also be represented by Ar Mad.
The younger horse’s participation is not to be taken for granted, because Moore would prefer some cut in the ground and is unlikely to find it at Sandown. Andrew Cooper, the clerk of the course, reported the chase track as an even mix of good and good to soft, with no rain in the immediate forecast. Cooper said the course will not dry up much at this time of year but he clearly did not anticipate soft going or anything close to it on Saturday.
Ar Mad won a Grade One novice chase on Tingle Creek day last year and Moore must be keen to try the horse against senior rivals over the same course and distance, especially after his charge’s last season was curtailed by injury. But the horse holds an alternative engagement in Huntingdon’s Peterborough Chase on Sunday if the Sussex trainer decides not to take the brave route.
Carole’s Destrier, who ran what looked like an excellent trial for the Grand National when second in Saturday’s Hennessy Gold Cup, is no certainty to be aimed at the Aintree race, it has emerged. His trainer, Neil Mulholland, recognises the horse’s suitability for such a test but hinted on Monday that his owner, Carole Skipworth, may not be so keen.
“Hopefully there will be plenty more good runs in him this season,” Mulholland said of Carole’s Destrier, who finished strongly at Newbury but not quite strongly enough to catch Native River. “Aintree has been the long-term plan for me with him this season but maybe not with his owner.
“He ticks all the right boxes for the Grand National. He jumps, he stays and he’s very honest. I think the Welsh National will be his next run.”
By contrast, next month’s Welsh National is off the agenda for Saphir Du Rheu, a first-circuit faller in the Hennessy. The Paul Nicholls-trained grey, who has become disappointing, returned to Somerset with “a bit of a sore head and a little bit of a nosebleed,” according to his owner, Andy Stewart.
“He will be back, but he will be off for a couple of weeks,” Stewart added. “There is no way Saphir Du Rheu will go for the Welsh National. We will still campaign him for Cheltenham and he will keep an entry in the Gold Cup, but we’ll look at all options when he is back.”
Remarkably, there might also be a return to action this season for Le Reve, who suffered a fracture at the base of his neck when causing a pile-up at Cheltenham a fortnight ago. Lucy Wadham’s veteran stopped on the take-off side of a fence after running loose, at which point three horses ran into him and pushed him over the fence.
“He took a hell of a battering,” said Wadham, who feared the worst. “He is lucky to be alive but we are pretty hopeful for the long term. He won’t be out until the spring at the earliest.” The Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown in April is a tentative target.
