Rooney’s sights on four more Rams wins for safety
AND BOSS WANTS SIBLEY TO SHOW NO FEAR ON FIELD
WAYNE Rooney believes four more wins will secure Derby County’s Championship status.
The Rams have been in the bottom six for most of the season.
They are currently 19th on 39 points – seventh from bottom above the relegation places, although third-bottom Rotherham United have four games in hand.
Derby have 10 games remaining, starting at home to promotion-chasers Brentford tonight (7pm).
“We need to stay calm. We have got 10 games left and I think we need four wins to stay in the League, and we are more than capable of doing that,” said Rooney.
“So it not a time to panic. We have got another very tough game on Tuesday. We cannot fear the games coming up, we have to go into them believing we can win.”
Four more wins would lift Derby above the 50-points mark. Does Rooney believe that will be safety?
“I think so. We are focusing on the game on Tuesday, that is the priority. We have prepared well and we will be ready for a tough game,” he said.
Derby and Brentford battled out a goalless draw in December.
“The key messages from that game do not change in terms of it will be hard work to restrict them – their movement is very good, their rotation is very good, so our concentration has to be at a high level,” said Rooney.
“I think where we are better now, the players have a better understanding of each other.
“We have got into some very good positions and not finished it off, so it is about taking our chances.
“If we do that, I think we have a good chance of winning.”
Rooney wants Rams midfielder Louie Sibley to show no fear in his performances again.
Sibley broke into Derby’s team last year and scored a spectacular goal against Blackburn Rovers before he recorded a stunning hat-trick in an away victory against Millwall.
Rooney was a team-mate of Sibley at the time. Now he is the manager and Sibley has started in only four of the 23 games in which Rooney has been in sole charge.
Rooney commented on Sibley’s form following Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat by Millwall, a match in which the 19-year-old was used as a substitute for the final 20 minutes.
“He (Sibley) needs to do more, he has to do more when he comes on,” said Rooney. “He has come on in a few games and he needs to show me that he deserves to play because I know he is an exciting player, he can score goals, he can create goals.”
Rooney added further explaination about his comments in the build-up to tonight’s home game against Brentford.
“I am not having a go at Louie Sibley, he is a fantastic player and a fantastic talent but it shows what I think of him that I know he can do better. For me he has to do better to start,” said Rooney.
Asked what the player has to show to earn a starting role, Rooney added: “A lack of fear. When he came into the team you could see that, he was running at players, taking players on, he was more aggressive.
“I want to get him back to being aggressive.
“I don’t mean going round booting people but being aggressive in how he takes the ball, how he runs, how he takes a shot.
“I just feel he has come away from that a little bit and it is something I have spoken to Louie about.”
THE opening day of the 2021 Cheltenham Festival sees two exciting mares – Honeysuckle and Epatante – square up in the feature, the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Henry De Bromhead’s Honeysuckle, the pretender, faces up to the reigning champ from the Nicky Henderson stable.
Britain versus Ireland, challenger versus holder – it’s what the Cheltenham Festival is all about.
There may not be any roar of the crowd, with the racing going on behind-closed-doors due to the pandemic, but the quality on the track isn’t diminished. Leading
Irish female rider, Rachael Blackmore, will be on board Honeysuckle in a mouth-watering clash that sets up four days of the best National Hunt action around.
Honeysuckle is unbeaten in 10 starts since her debut in November 2018. She won the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle – under Blackmore – on this day 12 months ago. That is one of six wins at the top level, which includes back-to-back victories in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse and similar successes in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in 2020 and last month.
That most recent win in the Irish Champion was arguably her best, as the seven-year-old sauntered to a 10-length success. She heads back to Cheltenham as favourite to land the Grade One showpiece of the opening day.
And Blackmore, who is bidding to become the first female jockey to win the Champion Hurdle, can’t wait to partner the ‘phenomenal’ mare again.
She said: “I can’t find any fault with her. Honeysuckle is incredible. She’s never let us down so far and I’m just hoping we can continue in the Champion Hurdle.
“She digs deep when she has to, she gets me out of trouble when she has to – she’s just been phenomenal and I can’t find any fault with her.
“It’s fantastic to be involved with a horse of her calibre. It’s what any jockey dreams about, getting teamed up with something like her. It’s just a privilege.
“Her owner, Kenny Alexander, his main aim was to win the Mares’ Hurdle at Cheltenham and that was a fantastic achievement for him to be able to do that, with the help of Peter Molony. We got that done last year, and I think her performance at Leopardstown was ultra-impressive. So why not have a stab at the Champion Hurdle?
“It’s an extremely competitive race, these championship races are unbelievable. There’s last year’s winner Epatante, Goshen. Hopefully we are on our A game and can produce the goods again.”
Epatante gave trainer Henderson a record eighth win in the
Champion Hurdle last year. She won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on her seasonal return, before being surprisingly beaten by reopposing Silver Streak in the Christmas Hurdle.
The seven-year-old has been given a break since but Henderson believes she is ready for the challenge back at Cheltenham.
The Seven Barrows handler said: “Epatante was disappointing at Kempton because she was very good in the Fighting Fifth. She wasn’t herself in the Christmas Hurdle.
“Obviously, she’s better than that. I think we’re back in the right place now. She looks wonderful. If we’ve got her back she’s got as good a chance as any.”
EPATANTE can successfully defend her crown in the Unibet Champion Hurdle (3.05pm), the feature on the opening day of the 2021 Cheltenham Festival.
Nicky Henderson’s star mare was victorious in the Grade One contest on day one last year and she can bring up back-to-back victories back at Prestbury Park.
The seven-year-old beat Sharjah by three lengths 12 months ago and her season has been geared around returning to bid to become the 15th horse to win the two-mile championship contest more than once.
Epatante won the Grade One Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on her return to action this season back in November. But she was then surprisingly beaten by the reopposing Silver Streak in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Evan Williams’ consistent seven-year-old deserved his first Grade One win that day, but he sort of stole it with a fine front-running display.
He will be a danger to Epatante, but back at Cheltenham and again with her mares’ allowance she can come out on top ahead of Silver Streak and favourite, Henry De Bromhead’s unbeaten mare Honeysuckle.
Epatante can extend trainer Henderson’s and owner JP McManus’s records in the Champion Hurdle with a ninth and 10th success respectively.
Henderson could already be on the board at the Festival
by then as the unbeaten SHISHKIN can confirm his star billing with victory in the Grade One Sporting Life Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase (1.55pm).
The seven-year-old, who won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in fine style at last year’s Festival, has impressed since switching to the bigger obstacles.
He is unbeaten in three starts, scoring by a combined total of almost 45 lengths in wins at Kempton twice and Doncaster in January.
The last two successes were at Grade Two level and he lines up in top company for the first time.
But despite his short odds, he looks like he can continue his rise up the two-mile novice chasing division ahead of Alnadam.
Willie Mullins, as he has done on several occasions, has a warm favourite in the opener to the Festival, the Grade One Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (1.20pm), in Appreciate It.
But he was beaten when also the well-fancied market leader in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham 12 months ago. And he may be turned over again this time by
Harry Fry’s METIER. The fiveyear-old is unbeaten in three starts over obstacles and travelled well when an impressive 12-length winner of the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown in January. He should enjoy the Cheltenham challenge and can make it four in a row.
The Grade Three Ultima Handicap Chase (2.30pm) sees a number of Randox Grand National entrants have their final prep run.
But it is Harriet Graham’s consistent AYE RIGHT, who is not entered at Aintree, who can finally land a deserved success having been placed in some similar contests.
The Charlie Longsdontrained SNOW LEOPARDESS (NAP) has run consistently in four chase starts this season, winning at Haydock and finishing second to Canelo in the Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby over Christmas. He can go close, at double figure odds, stepped up in trip to 3m 6f in the Grade Two Sam Vestey National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Chase (4.50pm).
Trainer Dan Skelton is having a fine season and he can land another Cheltenham Festival winner with ROKSANA set for a second victory in the Grade One Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle (Registered As The David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle) (3.40pm), while the Paul Nicholls-trained HELL RED can build on his third at Wincanton and go a couple of places better in the Grade Three Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Registered as The Fred Winter) (4.15pm).
IRISH trainer Willie Mullins will bid to get favourite backers off to the perfect start – just as he has in the past – with Appreciate It lining up in the opener to the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.
The Country Carlow handler has won the traditional curtain-raiser a record six times since Tourist Attraction first scored 26 years ago.
The most successful trainer in Festival history has also claimed the Supreme with shock winner Ebaziyan in 2007, as well as well-fancied runners Champagne Fever (2013), Vautour (2014), Douvan (2015) and Klassical Dream (2019) since.
Warm favourite Appreciate
It, runner-up to stablemate Ferny Hollow in the Champion Bumper 12 months ago, will bid to get him off to the perfect start.
The seven-year-old has won successive Grade Ones over two miles at Leopardstown and Mullins said: “I had him down as a stayer, so the fact he has that turn of foot is good too.
“What he did at Christmas was terrific, and I’m wondering whether he was as good in himself at the Dublin Racing Festival last month, or was it a better race?
“He did what he had to when he had to, and we all thought he was in trouble turning for home, but when Ballyadam came to him he got the job done and he’s been in great form since.” Mullins also saddles Blue
Lord, who finished six lengths behind his stablemate when third in last month’s Chanelle Pharma Novice Hurdle – while the runner-up
Ballyadam is in opposition again, having moved from Gordon Elliott’s yard to Henry de Bromhead.
The chief British hope is Harry Fry’s Metier, who is unbeaten in three starts, including an impressive 12-length victory in the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown on his latest appearance.
“There’s only eight runners, but all the main contenders are there,” said Fry. “We’re all systems go at our end. We’re really pleased with him at home – he’s fresh and well and goes there all guns blazing. He’s been very progressive.
“He’ll need to progress again, but there’s no reason why he can’t. This will be the best ground he’s run on over hurdles, but he’s got Flat form on better ground, so I’m not overly concerned. He’ll either be good enough or he won’t – and I don’t think the ground will be an excuse, hopefully.”
Meanwhile, Altior has been ruled out of the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at the 11th hour for a second successive year.
Nicky Henderson’s 11-year-old, who has won the race twice previously as well as the Arkle and the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, coughed after exercise last Tuesday.
The veteran has only made it to the track twice since November 2019 when he met with his first defeat over obstacles at the hands of Cyrname. Altior was forced to miss last year’s Queen Mother with a splint which emerged the weekend beforehand.