THOMSON TARGETS WIN FOR THE NORTH
FLYING the flag for northern jump racing at the Cheltenham Festival in March will be Seeyouatmidnight after he booked his return trip to the track with a decisive victory in the Betbright Dipper Novices’ Chase yesterday.
Quality jumpers are in such short supply in the north of the country that a BHA review group has recommended a special taskforce be formed to help revive the region.
But in Seeyouatmidnight, trained in the Scottish Borders by Sandy Thomson and owned by his wife Quona, the region has a horse which can take on the quality performers from the better financed southern stables.
Bookmaker Paddy Power make the Brian Hughes-ridden winner (right) 14-1 for the RSA Chase after he made all the running to beat Blaklion by three-and-aquarter lengths in front of a record crowd of 34,505 for Cheltenham’s New Year’s day meeting.
The eight-year-old has now won all his three steeplechases.
Thomson, a former farmer who has 25 horses in his stable near Kelso, said: ‘It was the two horses that stayed which fought out the finish, but I always felt we had a little in hand. He is an out-and-out stayer and something is going to have to do well to get past him.’
The Thomson family have had a long association with the sport with Sandy’s father, David, just missing out in the 1983 Dipper Chase when it was run at
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Newcastle after his gelding Sam or sumthing was beaten by Michael Dickinson-trained Lettoch. Looking forward to March, Thomson added: ‘It is great for us but also great for the north because we are struggling for good horses. Unfortunately, they have all come south and the owners have also drifted south. Seeyouatmidnight looks like he can be a standard-bearer. You have to think he could win at the Festival. He has dented a few big reputations.’ Thomson plans to run Seeyouatmidnight next in the Towton Novices’ Chase at Wetherby on February 6.
Trainer Robert Walford, who has his roots in the north but now trains in Dorset, had gone 241 days without a winner — albeit only sending out 33 losers in that period. But he ended that drought when Leighton Aspell-ridden 10-1 shot Camping Ground surged home 10 lengths clear of Lil Rockerfeller in the Relkeel Hurdle with Cole Harden, the 2015 World Hurdle winner, a fur- ther nine lengths back in third. The World Hurdle is the plan now for Camping Ground and Walford is confident his French import will be a force to be reckoned with.
Walford said: ‘He is a special horse. He was fourth in last season’s Imperial Cup and had a breathing operation afterwards. It has made a difference. We consider him a chaser but will probably stay over hurdles now this season.’
Had he not unseated his jockey in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon last month and appeared to lose confidence jumping, Walford had intended running Camping Ground in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
ROBIN GOODFELLOW (Sam Turner) napped Cheltenham winner Single farm payment (9-2).