RAIN DAMPENS FERGAL HOPES
TRAINER Fergal O’Brien has more reason than most to rue the abandonment of today’s opening day of Cheltenham’s November meeting and will be praying that the track passes its inspection this afternoon to ensure the finals two days get the go-ahead.
O’Brien was due to run Jarveys Plate, Champagne Well and Petite Power today — the horses that gave him a treble on the opening day of Cheltenham’s season last month.
Champagne Well may get another chance after his race — the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle — was rescheduled for tomorrow as O’Brien bids to add to his 31 season wins. That tally is even more laudable given he and partner Sally Randell only finished moving their string to a new purposebuilt stable in the last few days.
The yard, on 70 acres of the 550-acre Ravenswell Farm owned by former Southampton chairman Rupert Lowe and wife Nicky, will be O’Brien’s third stable since he started training. With a 20-year lease, O’Brien hopes he now has the perfect platform eight miles from the home of jump racing.
‘We are still building but in six months’ time when it is finished it will be absolutely superb,’ he said. ‘I first looked at it in July 2018 and met Rupert and Nicky Lowe. They have really embraced the whole project. I hope my nomadic days are over. We love it at Ravenswell. We hope this will take us to another level.’
O’Brien’s entries for the remaining two days at Cheltenham include Benny’s Bridge, second favourite for Sunday’s Greatwood Hurdle after his Cheltenham win last month.
A total of 37mm of rain in 18 hours scuppered today’s Cheltenham meeting. There is optimism that the track will pass an inspection at 3pm to enable tomorrow’s card featuring the BetVictor Gold Cup to go ahead.
TRAINER Willie Mullins will look for a race over Christmas for Douvan after the brilliant but fragile chaser defied a 569-day absence to win the Clonmel Oil Chase.
HORSE RACING Ireland have barred the Supreme Racing Club from the sport after it ‘voided’ their registrations. Supreme Racing Club has been in dispute with members over the shareholding of their horses.