PAT IS KEEPING IT
Neville has a cracker in Whacker for Kinggeorge
RACING: BOXING DAY NEWS AND CARDS FROM
TALK of The Real Whacker’s King George VI Chase bid as David versus Goliath overlooks the fact the callow catapult wielder has already put the giant on the seat of his pants.
The seven-year-old is among a team of 14 horses trained in North Yorkshire by Irishman Paddy Neville – that’s a mere fraction of the battalions in the care of Willie Mullins, Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson, represented at Kempton by Allaho, Bravemansgame and Shishkin.
But it was a similar story in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last March, when The Real Whacker and Sam Twistondavies flowed over the fences and contained the late surge of Gerri Colombe by a short head.
“He’s a decent horse and, when he gets into a rhythm, it takes a fair one to jump with him,” said Neville (right), “He’s bang on form for the King George.”
The gelded son of Mahler won three times at the home of jump racing last season but pulled up back in the Cotswolds in the Paddy Power Gold Cup. However, it transpired The Real Whacker had struck into himself, and Neville readily forgives that rare disappointment.
“He got a bit of an overreach but Sam looked after him and he’s got that over and done with,” he reflected. “He always needs his first run, anyway, but he has progressed a lot from that and my horses are running into form.”
Neville quickly nominated the Boxing Day feature as his stable star’s target and is all too happy to suffer an interrupted Christmas making the journey from Leyburn to Sunbury.
“We’ll have turkey sandwiches travelling down on Christmas Day,” he smiled. “I’ve watched the race since I was a kid, and you’d be dreaming of having a runner in the King George.”
But that doesn’t mean Neville is overawed – far from it.
Bravemansgame bids to extend his trainer’s record of 13 King George triumphs, while Allaho numbers two Ryanair Chases among his four successes at the top level over fences.
Shishkin is a five-time winner in Grade 1 chases but Neville, for whom victory would double his seasonal tally,
said: “There’s no standout horse, but a couple of them have had a couple of tough runs.”
While The Real Whacker has made his name with all-the-way scores at the home of jump racing, Neville thinks Kempton will suit Twistondavies’ mount just as well before the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.
“Kempton’s a track where you need to get into a rhythm and he can do that,” he added.
“He doesn’t need to lead if they go mad in front, and he’s in such form – he’s A1 and I couldn’t be happier.
“It’s a wide-open race and wouldn’t be afraid of anyone.”