Tag Archive for: Eider Chase

Anglers Crag ‘in great form’ but not 100 per cent confirmed for Eider yet

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Brian Ellison is set to make a late decision on the participation of ante-post favourite Anglers Crag in the Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Eider Handicap Chase at Newcastle on Saturday.

The nine-year-old is unbeaten in three starts for the Malton handler since transferring from David Pipe in the autumn and brought up a hat-trick for his new training team with a decisive success at Musselburgh earlier this month.

Despite given an 11lb rise for that victory, he as short as 11-4 to extend his winning run in the Gosforth Park marathon at the weekend, with the final call on whether he takes his chance resting with owner Derrick Mossop.

“I’ve seen he’s favourite, but I don’t think a decision (on whether he runs) will be made until Thursday, I need to speak with the owner,” said Ellison.

“The horse is in great form and if he runs he will be in tip-top condition, I’m very happy with him.

“The handicapper didn’t miss him last time and put him up 11lb and I think he’s gone up around 20lb since I’ve had him.

“Ground will come into it (the decision to run) and he’s never been over four miles yet. He won over three-mile-two at Carlisle and he’s also won over three miles at Musselburgh so he’s showed he has a bit of speed and he can stay. If he was to stay four miles he would take all the beating, I would think.”

Ellison won the Eider with Sam’s Adventure in 2021 and the Tyneside native admitted he would love to get his hands on the prize for a second time, with his in-form stayer reported to be in rude health.

“We won it a couple of years ago which was good and it would be nice to win it again,” said Ellison.

“He’s in great form and if the owner wants to run him he will run, but if he doesn’t then I won’t run him.

“He’s been trained like he’s going to run and has never missed a beat since he won at Musselburgh. He worked on Saturday and Andrew Robinson who rides him all the time thinks he’s improved again, so everything is OK.”

Anglers Crag is one of 16 remaining in the hunt for the £80,000 contest after Monday’s confirmation stage, with Jamie Snowden’s Git Maker the one the bookmakers feel will give Ellison’s charge most to think about.

Last year’s runner-up The Galloping Bear is another notable name to stand his ground, alongside Sam England’s hat-trick-seeking Fenland Tiger and Seamus Mullins’ Tommie Beau who scored twice before having to settle for second in the Sussex National.



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Kitty’s Light fantastic for Williams in Eider Chase

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Kitty’s Light secured the big-race victory he has long promised with a determined display in the Vertem Eider Handicap Chase at Newcastle.

The Christian Williams-trained seven-year-old was unfortunate not to land the 2021 bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown after controversial finish and he has since been placed in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby, the Coral Trophy at Kempton, the Scottish Grand National at Ayr and the bet365 Gold Cup for a second time.

Having fallen down the weights following a disappointing run of form so far this season, Kitty’s Light was the 7-4 favourite to bounce back at Gosforth Park – but his supporters were made to sweat before eventually collecting their winnings.

Jockey Jack Tudor was hard at work in the saddle at various stages of the four-one-mile-furlong contest, while Kitty’s Light was far from convincing at a number of fences on the way round.

But to his credit, the Nathaniel gelding managed to keep himself in contention and his huge reserves of stamina kicked in from the home turn and he kept on dourly from the final fence to get up and beat The Galloping Bear by two and a half lengths.

Williams, claiming back-to-back Eider wins following the comfortable success of Win My Wings 12 months ago, said: “I’m delighted. It was a great ride for good owners. The ground was a bit messy and he made hard work of it, but we’ve got plenty of faith in him and you can never write him off.

“He does his best work in the latter stages of a race. He’s got a Flat pedigree and is not bred to be jumping fences and running over four miles!

“He’s a brilliant little horse. All the stats said he couldn’t win with his age and this and that, but he’s a freak so I didn’t take much notice.

“We know how hard it is to win that type of race. We won it with Win My Wings last year, who probably had 20-odd pounds in hand. We thought we had Kitty’s Light mapped out for it, but you don’t just go up there and win that type of race, so I’m proud of the horse and Jack everyone who travelled up there.”

Christian Williams was thrilled with the victory of Kitty's Light at Newcastle
Christian Williams was thrilled with the victory of Kitty’s Light at Newcastle (Simon Marper/PA)

Kitty’s Light was cut to 5-1 from 10-1 for the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter on March 18, but appears unlikely to take his chance.

“I think we’ve got two options now, the Scottish National and the bet365 Gold Cup. We’ll have a sit down and speak to the owners and see which race will suit him,” Williams added.

“He ran in both races last year, but this year they’re only a week apart so I think we will target one or the other.

“We left him in the Midlands National at the first stage as we were worried about the ground at Newcastle, but I would have thought he’ll be taken out of that now.”



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Eva’s Oskar continues National prep with Eider outing

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Eva’s Oskar will line up for the Vertem Eider Handicap Chase at Newcastle on Saturday as the Randox Grand National beckons.

The Tim Vaughan-trained grey produced a career-best performance to land the Dahlbury Chase at Cheltenham in December, a victory that brought into focus the major staying targets throughout the spring.

The Welsh Grand National was considered and ultimately vetoed in favour of a tilt at the Grand National itself at Aintree, en route to which the gelding was scheduled to stop off at both Sandown’s Virgin Bet Masters Handicap Chase and Saturday’s Eider.

The Sandown run resulted in a fourth-placed performance Vaughan hopes will leave the horse perfectly poised for an Eider bid that will itself lead to the National.

He said: “He seems in great form, I’m hoping the ground is genuine good to soft, which I think he’d love. The extra trip should should bring plenty of improvement and we’re excited to get going and have a go.

Eva’s Oskar(left) during the Dahlbury Handicap Chase at Cheltenham
Eva’s Oskar(left) during the Dahlbury Handicap Chase at Cheltenham (David Davies/PA)

“We won at Cheltenham and then we had to decide whether we were going to go for the Welsh National or what other route we might want to take with him.

“I had in my mind to go to the Grand National and I wanted to work backwards from that, so we swerved the Welsh National and went to Sandown.

“He probably needed that run, just to put the finishing touches on him with the aim of having him cherry-ripe for the Eider. It’s a well-trodden path, the Eider to the Grand National, so it made sense.

“I put in entries for the Midlands National and for Cheltenham, just in case we thought he wouldn’t get in then we had to change our plan, but we’re pretty adamant the Grand National is our route after this.”

Of the slowly-run Sandown contest, the trainer added: “He’s a horse who doesn’t really want to be in front, he likes being up on the pace but he doesn’t want to be in front and pushing the pace. They just didn’t go fast enough really, he stayed on well, he did nothing wrong.

“Alan (Johns, jockey) was happy as Larry with him, the race just didn’t pan out as you’d hope to give him the best chance of running his race, so I’m hoping that will be different come Saturday.”

Christian Williams won the Eider last season with Win My Wings and this time runs Kitty’s Light, second behind the latter horse in the Scottish Grand National last season and second behind stablemate Cap Du Nord in the Coral Trophy at Kempton.

Cap Du Nord heads south to defend that title and Kitty’s Light will return to a four-mile trip under Jack Tudor at Newcastle after the presence the highly-rated of Frodon pushed him out of the weights at Kempton.

“He’s very well, he’s being stepped back in trip to four miles and he seems to be an out-and-out stayer,” Williams said.

“There are only certain four-mile races on nice ground for a horse of his rating, so the Eider Chase was the obvious choice for him.

Christian Williams' Cap Du Nord
Christian Williams’ Cap Du Nord (Steven Paston/PA)

“He’s been running over three miles and I think a step up in trip will suit him, it’s great prize-money and it’d be great to win it again.

“You can’t question his stamina, he ran well over three miles at Kempton in the Coral Trophy last year and that’s great prize-money, but Frodon is stopping him from going there so we’ll go for the Eider instead.”

Ben Clarke’s proven stayer The Galloping Bear lines up under jockey Ben Jones, having falled in the Welsh National when last seen.

Happily the bay was unscathed after the incident and has been pleasing when schooling in preparation for the race.

Clarke said: “He’s been none the worse from his tumble at Chepstow. He’s done of plenty of schooling since, we’ve had him checked over and he seems to be absolutely fine.

The Galloping Bear
The Galloping Bear (Steven Paston/PA)

“Everything’s gone really smoothly for him, we think the track will suit him and we’re excited about running him. He schooled this week very nicely and worked well, so we’re hopeful of a good run.

“The trip is definitely no issue for us, there are a few in it that are open to improvement up in trip, but there’s no guarantee they are confirmed stayers. That’s got to be a positive, he’s on a mark that we know is workable for him and he’s pretty straightforward – we’re all happy this end and hoping he can run well.”

The Galloping Bear has relished heavy ground in the past, but Clarke does not expect good to soft will hinder him over an extended trip and under a weight of 11st 12lb.

“He hasn’t run on good to soft ground for a little while, if it was over three miles on that ground I might be a bit concerned that everything could happen a bit quick for him, but over four miles, I can’t see it being an issue.

“He’s got a lot of weight to carry and he’s done that in the past, he carried the same weight to victory in the Surrey National, but because he’s not the biggest horse, it might actually help if it’s not quite such a bog. I don’t foresee good to soft ground being such an issue over the trip.”



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Martin would like rain at Newcastle ahead of Amigos Eider option

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Nicky Martin has an eye on the Eider Chase at Newcastle for her Welsh Grand National winner The Two Amigos.

The gelding prevailed by a length and a quarter in the Chepstow staying event, relishing the soft conditions to defeat Joe Tizzard’s The Big Breakaway on December 27.

His next outing was due to be the Grand National Trial at Haydock on Saturday, but dry weather produced good to soft ground that Martin decided would have been too quick for her 11-year-old.

Newcastle are currently describing their turf as good to soft, soft in places, more suitable conditions for The Two Amigos and ground that leaves him likely to take up his entry in the race.

“He’s been confirmed for the Eider on Saturday because the ground has gone good, good to soft. Hopefully they’ll get a bit more rain and then we can go there,” Martin said.

The Two Amigos on his way to Welsh Grand National glory
The Two Amigos on his way to Welsh Grand National glory (David Davies/PA)

“I didn’t know if I’d make a mistake (in not running at Haydock), but I was talking to Charlie Longsdon and he said it was genuinely good to soft, so I don’t think it would have been quite soft enough for him to be honest.

“He is just very ground dependent, pretty much all of my horses like soft ground. We’ve had a lot of rain and we’re heavy here at the farm, but I think we’re the only people who’ve had any!

“The Eider should suit him, it’s four miles and he’s done that before. He’s never been to Newcastle before and nor have I, actually, so hopefully we’ll have a good day and it’ll all go well.”

Other entries for the race include Christian Williams’ Kitty’s Light, the Ann Hamilton-trained Bavington Bob, Nicky Richards’ Houston Texas and and Eva’s Oskar from Tim Vaughan’s yard.

The Galloping Bear is entered for Ben Clarke and Evan Williams is represented by Dans Le Vent, whereas Oliver Signy has French Paradoxe on the list and Phil Kirby has put forward the versatile hurdler-chaser Bushypark.



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