RACING NEWS ROUND-UP:WITH MASTER Minded on the injury sidelines, pole position in the two mile division will be up for grabs at Sandown on Saturday and Big Zeb is on track to claim it in the Tingle Creek Chase.
Colm Murphy’s dual-Grade One winner came closest of all to beating Master Minded at the Punchestown festival in April and impressively landed the Fortria Chase at Navan on his seasonal reappearance.
Murphy has decided to run Big Zeb over two miles in the Tingle Creek rather than keep the horse at home for Sunday’s John Durkan Memorial Chase over two and a half miles. “Punchestown was an option but the way the ground is we’ve decided to go to Sandown instead,” the Co Wexford-based trainer said yesterday.
“We have to confirm riding arrangements but I presume Barry (Geraghty) will ride him.”
Forpadydeplasterer is also a regular Barry Geraghty mount and he is among the dozen entries left in the Tingle Creek too. Along with Barker and the 2006 Champion Chase winner Newmill, both Big Zeb and Forpadydeplasterer comprise a strong Irish challenge for the prestigious Grade One event.
Forpadydeplasterer was runner-up on his own first start of the season at Down Royal but his trainer Tom Cooper has reported: “He is much sharper and fitter at home now. Everything has gone to plan.” Paddy Power, however, believe Big Zeb is the Irish number one for Saturday and have installed him as a 6 top 4 Tingle Creek favourite.
The home team will include Well Chief who bounced back to winning form at Cheltenham last time and the former Tingle Creek winner Twist Magic who will represent Paul Nicholls in Master Minded’s place.
In other news, Colm Murphy also admitted yesterday the Champion Hurdle has now entered his calculations for Voler La Vedette, whose Down Royal winning form received a major boost from Go Native after that one’s Fighting Fifth success at Newcastle last Saturday.
“It was definitely a nice boost but we are not getting too carried away. It was a very different race at the weekend on very different ground,” he said.
“Voler La Vedette will be entered in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown and also the mares hurdle there. We will have a peep at the two of them but all being well she will definitely get an entry in the Irish Champion Hurdle and that will tell us a lot more,” Murphy added.
Voler La Vedette was a 20 to 1 shot in ante-post betting for the Champion Hurdle yesterday but is also under consideration for the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle at the Cheltenham festival.
