Le Prezien, who ran the exceptional Yorkhill to two and a quarter lengths in a Grade One hurdle at Aintree in April, emerged in front after a fascinating duel with L’Ami Serge on Thursday that illuminated a miserably wet afternoon at Exeter. Paul Nicholls’s young chaser was cut to around 16-1 for the JLT Novice Chase in a market headed by Yorkhill, who could make his chasing debut in a beginners’ event at Fairyhouse on Saturday.
L’Ami Serge went one better than Le Prezien over hurdles, recording a Grade One victory in the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown in January 2015. He gave away valuable ground to Le Prezien at most of the obstacles on Thursday because a habit of jumping left that started at an early stage became more pronounced as the race wore on.
Le Prezien jumped accurately throughout and there was a sense of power and purpose about his galloping action on the rain-softened ground. He jumped into the lead two out and then stayed on well for Barry Geraghty to win by two and three quarter lengths. “He jumped a little bit novice at Cheltenham [last month when he took a Grade Two] and I was keen to get some more experience into him,” Nicholls said. “Horses like him need to have plenty of races to get experience into them. He will go back up in trip but we will take our time. There are plenty of good races in the calendar and it is not all about Cheltenham. We’ve got some good novice chasers and they are the future for us.”
Nicholls had only three runners on the Exeter card and all three came home in front to take his total in December to 13 victories from 42 runners, a 31% strike rate. His treble on the day was completed by the novice hurdler Give Me A Copper, who is part-owned by the former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and the mare Tagrita, who maintained her unbeaten record over fences with a comfortable success in a novice chase.
Harry Stewart-Moore, the solicitor for Jim Best, confirmed Suzie Best, the trainer’s wife, has applied for a licence to take over the running of their Sussex stable while her husband serves a six-month suspension for serious breaches of the anti-corruption rules. Best’s licence was suspended on Monday after a disciplinary panel found he had ordered Paul John, a conditional jockey at his yard, deliberately to stop two of his horses.
Jim Best has until next Monday to appeal against the decision and a report in the Racing Post suggested Suzie Best had demanded a hearing of her application before her husband’s appeal deadline expires.
Claiming to have seen a covering letter that accompanied the application, the Post said Best insists any delay in issuing a licence would result in their Lewes yard being forced to close and would represent “a wrongful increase in the penalty handed down by the disciplinary panel and an abuse of the BHA’s powers of licensing”. The letter also suggested Best could take her case to the high court “if there is any sign the BHA does not intend on allowing a smooth transition of Mr Best’s yard into Mrs Best’s hands”.
The British Horseracing Authority declined to comment on the report, or even confirm Suzie Best has applied for a licence, citing a strict duty of confidentiality around licensing issues that are “private matters”.
There was no immediate sign either that it will accelerate its normal licensing procedures in any way to accommodate Best. Even when a prospective trainer has completed all the necessary training modules, as Suzie Best has, it normally takes about a month before a licensing committee is convened to consider the application.
The BHA could yet decide to oppose the application from Suzie Best, or any application for a licence by Tom Best, Jim’s brother, who is also a key member of the staff at their yard. It also seems unlikely it would want to be seen to be accommodating Suzie Best’s demands, given the seriousness of the charges of which her husband was found guilty.
