Yanworth reigns in 1,500th win for King
ALAN KING marked the new year with a double celebration as Yanworth showed he is getting his act together over fences in Cheltenham’s Grade Two Dipper Novices’ Chase to give his trainer a 1,500th career win. The eight-year-old’s chasing career might still be a work in progress, to borrow a phrase from jockey Barry Geraghty, but his success by a neck from Sizing Tennessee — himself an improved jumper — means King will now set Yanworth’s sights on the Cheltenham Festival and a likely shot at the three-mile RSA Chase. A dual Grade One winner over hurdles last season, Yanworth started favourite for last year’s Champion Hurdle before passing the post a disappointing seventh behind Buveur D’Air. But he is far from a natural over fences. He fell when landing too steeply at Exeter and sticky technique cost him when he was beaten three lengths by Willoughby Court at Newbury. That rival, albeit on five pounds worse terms, was eight lengths back in third yesterday and King attributed the improved jumping of his 15-8 shot to schooling sessions with stable jockey Wayne Hutchinson and eventing guru Yogi Breisner. King said: ‘That was a big step in the right direction. He had two sessions with Wayne and Yogi just to get him to pop a fence when he was not meeting it right. ‘He looked like he was going to win very well and then pricked his ears halfway up the run-in and I thought he would throw it away. ‘If things had gone wrong, maybe we would have thought about hurdling again but not after that.’ Reflecting on reaching 1,500 winners, King, 51, who started training in 1999, said: ‘I am very proud of that. ‘There have been lots of nice horses like Katchit, My Way de Solzen and Voy Por Ustedes. And my Royal Ascot win with Primitivo is something I will never forget. We’ve been spoilt.’
TOM BELLAMY was barred from riding at Cheltenham yesterday and faces a BHA disciplinary hearing after failing a breathalyser test. Bellamy was due to have three rides, two for trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, who said: ‘I am not going to blame him. He only had two drinks and the last one was before midnight. ‘The limit is a third of the drink driving rules and he is a tall lad who is killing himself to do the weight and not eating much.’ Twiston-Davies-trained Wholestone is back on course for the Stayers’ Hurdle after a three-and-a-quarter-length win in the Relkeel Hurdle. The trainer also won the Grade Three Bet-Bright Festival Betting Handicap Chase with Ballyhill. Meanwhile, Adam Wedge has been banned for 21 days after he mistakenly missed out the third-last fence at Exeter on 4-7 favourite Report To Base. Some other fences were being bypassed because of a low sun and waterlogging. His mount, who easily won the three-runner Beginners’ Chase, was disqualified.
AS England seek to avoid a 4-0 defeat in the final Ashes Test starting in Sydney on Thursday, Australian legend GLENN McGRATH wonders how they are going to combat the colossus that is home captain Steve Smith.
IF I knew how to get Steve Smith out I’m not sure I’d tell England because I want an Australian victory at the SCG — but I don’t think I could help anyway.
The thing with Smith — and this is something I don’t think I’ve seen in any other batsman — is he adapts not only his game but also his technique to different conditions and circumstances.
And he does this while remaining just as effective.
You come up with a bowling plan based on how you’ve seen him bat before but then he will change his technique, grip or stance and nullify what the opposition are trying to do.
In that respect the Australian captain is unique, a freak, one of a kind.
We’ve seen England’s bowlers aiming at the stumps — because Smith walks across them — to try to bring lbw and bowled into play with a stronger leg-side field.
But that doesn’t work because he never seems to miss a ball. He just opens his stance up a little to get his pad away and then plays straight. And we’ve seen them bowling wide of off-stump with a strong off-side field to try to frustrate Smith because he loves playing through the leg-side.
England have bowled okay but have tended to be a little short in their opening spells