IT’S WORTH THE WAIT
ALAN KING hopes to have a jockey in place to ride leading Stan James Champion Hurdle contender Yanworth by the end of the weekend.
With JP McManus’s retained rider – and potential partner of the Grade One winner – Barry Geraghty missing Cheltenham through injury the Barbury Castle Stables handler is seeking a replacement for his stable star.
Since being beaten by Yorkhill in last year’s Neptune, his only defeat over hurdles, the seven- year-old – as short as 100-30 for the two-mile prize on March 14 – has won each of his three starts this term, the most recent in the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton last month.
King said: “I don’t know who is going to ride Yanworth and we need to speak at the weekend as we do need to find out.
“Obviously I would like them to come and have a sit on him. No one has ridden him over a hurdle bar Geraghty so whoever rides him we want to come and school him and possibly ride a bit of work.
“The good thing is he has come out of Wincanton well. We gave him a thorough check-over. The vet, physio and Dan Horsford, who rides him every day, are all delighted with him.
“He didn’t have great preparation for Wincanton but I just felt we needed to get a bit more match practice in him and fortunately he has come out of that well.
“I don’t think the cheekpieces did him any harm. It was just to make him a bit more slicker through the air. He is a horse that is totally genuine but does like to have a look around.
“He is a bit slow over a hurdle when he gets in tight and at Wincanton he was much sharper.
“This is a more suitable test for him. He’s won despite the tracks.”
■ Will Kennedy’s amazing recovery snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat on Dear Sire yesterday at Musselburgh.
The jockey finished with both feet out of the irons after his Donald McCain-trained mount stumbled on landing after the last in the toteexacta At betfred.com Maiden Hurdle.
Kennedy battled against gravity to haul himself back into the saddle and said: “It was my best ever recovery but it was also partly my fault in the first place.
“But anything is better than ending up on the ground!”
■ Rachael McDonald rode the second winner of her professional career as Buckled sprung a 12-1 surprise for borders trainer Sandy Thomson in the totequadpot At betfred.com Handicap Hurdle.