SUITS YOU CYR
THE Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on Saturday represents a “window of opportunity” for Cyrname, trainer Paul Nicholls said yesterday.
Britain’s highest- rated chaser has shown his best form on right- handed courses, including inflicting a first and so only defeat over fences on Altior in the Grade Two Christy 1965 Chase at Ascot last November.
Cyrname was due to race clockwise in the Grade One Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday, but COVID- 19 restrictions have forced Nicholls to re- route to Wetherby’s Grade
Two test the same afternoon.
“The Charlie Hall is a window of opportunity for him because it gives him a chance to show what he can do going left- handed,” Nicholls said.
“He’ll be fine going that way round. A lot has been written about him not going left- handed but we’ve always said we were open to doing it in the future.
“He’s an eight- year- old but he doesn’t have many miles on the clock and it’s too early to say he can only do this and he can’t do that.”
Nicholls reported Frodon “A1” after his return- to- action victory under Bryony Frost in the Matchbook Betting Exchange Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday.
The 2019 Ryanair Chase winner will be trained for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Nicholls added: “I’m not sure where we will go next. There’s the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree in December and he could go back to Cheltenham for the Cotswold Chase at the end of January, but the Gold Cup is the aim.”
ANN HAMILTON, who trains a ●
team of six horses at Capheaton in Northumberland, saddled Nuts Well to defy top weight at 18- 1 under Danny Mcmenamin in the Grade Two Monet’s Garden Old Roan Chase at Aintree yesterday.