Tag Archive for: Into Overdrive

Into Overdrive on course for Rowland Meyrick return

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Last year’s winner Into Overdrive is on course to make his seasonal reappearance in the William Hill Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase at Wetherby on Boxing Day.

Mark Walford’s staying chaser lined up in the West Yorkshire track’s traditional festive feature as a leading contender 12 months ago, having already won at Wetherby in the autumn before pushing top-class stayer L’Homme Presse close in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle.

Into Overdrive was disappointingly pulled up when well fancied for the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March and while he has not been seen in competitive action since, Walford is pleased with his condition ahead of his belated return.

He said: “A few of our horses haven’t been quite firing and he’d have been on that list, but they seem to be coming right now and he seems in good nick.

“We haven’t actually missed anything as a race at Wetherby we would have run him in was off and then the Rehearsal was off as well. They were the two races we’d have gone for and they were abandoned anyway.

“He seems in good form, Jamie (Hamilton) schooled him on Tuesday and it went well, so we’re hoping for a decent run next week.

“There’s plenty of races coming up for him in the new year and we’re looking forward to getting him out. It will be a big ask for him to win first time out in a race like this, but he’s a decent horse and I think we’ve got him in good nick.”

Into Overdrive is one of 16 entries for the Rowland Meyrick, with Sandy Thomson’s Empire Steel, Dan Skelton’s Ashtown Lad and the Nicky Richards-trained pair of Houston Texas and Famous Bridge among his potential rivals.



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Walford targeting Newbury prize with Ruby Island

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Mark Walford is planning to send his promising hurdler Ruby Island to Ayr next month in a bid to qualify for the Grade Two EBF Mares’ Final at Newbury.

Fourth in Listed company behind leading Champion Bumper hope Queens Gamble at Cheltenham in November, the daughter of Trans Island made a winning start to her hurdling career at Ayr in December.

Partnered by Jamie Hamilton, the six-year-old then followed up with a smart five-length success over Hashtag Boum at Wetherby and is now being readied for a step up in trip and a return to Scotland.

Walford said: “We are going up to Ayr with her on March 10 for a qualifier for the Mares’ Final at Newbury (March 25), that is the plan.

“She is in good form and improving all the time, we think.

“We are stepping her up to two and a half miles next time, which will suit her.

“She hits a flat spot and she runs on really well. I don’t think the quicker ground will be too much of an issue for her. She’s run on all types of ground and as long as it is not good to firm, she’ll be running.”

North Yorkshire-based Walford feels Ruby Island, who also won a Hexham bumper last March, keeps plenty in reserve and is confident she will be better over further.

He added: “She is a horse with a decent future. She is so strong at the end of a race, which I like, and she is a very good jumper.

“I think she’ll probably do the same over two-and-a-half – she is one of those, she’ll only do what you ask her.

“Over two miles, it is not a lack of speed, she just needs waking up a bit. When Jamie asked her a question at Wetherby, she put it to bed fairly quickly.

“She will try for you, but she certainly doesn’t over-race.”

Walford also had positive news on Into Overdrive, who won the Grade Three Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase at Wetherby on Boxing Day, but subsequently had to bypass the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster due to a dirty scope.

“Into Overdrive had a small blip before the Sky Bet Chase, hence we didn’t run,” said Walford.

“He had a bad scope, but scoped last week clean as a whistle, so we’re pretty much on track for the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.”



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Into Overdrive ruled out of Sky Bet Chase date

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Into Overdrive will miss his intended run in the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster on Saturday after scoping dirty and now looks set to be saved for the Cheltenham Festival.

Trainer Mark Walford was primed to run in the valuable three-mile event after Into Overdrive defeated Sounds Russian in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby on Boxing Day.

Prior to that, the highly-progressive Court Cave gelding had chased home L’Homme Presse in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle.

However, hopes of a third success of the season will have to wait a while after Wendy Hamilton’s eight-year-old was found to be under the weather.

“It is disappointing, but it is nothing serious,” said Walford. “You’ve got to be at the top of your game to be running in those sort of races.

“There was just a little bit of mucus – nothing I’m overly concerned about, It is just bad timing.”

Walford added: “We will probably just wait for the Ultima at Cheltenham. There is nothing really in between.

“There is only a race at Kempton before Cheltenham that is suitable for him (Coral Trophy Handicap Chase, February 25), and I think we will probably prefer to go to Cheltenham over that.

“I’d expect we’ll have him cleared up in a week or so, but there are just not that many opportunities for him.

“It is gutting. These types of races don’t come along very often, but you get used to it when you deal with horses. You get problems and it is far from a major one, so he’ll be back and fine and there will be plenty of other nice races for him to run in.”



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Into Overdrive team deliberating National target

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Connections of Rowland Meyrick Chase winner Into Overdrive are undecided about running in the Grand National, suggesting it is “50-50″ that he lines up at Aintree.

Into Overdrive was beaten a length by eased-down Cheltenham Gold Cup hope L’Homme Presse in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle in November.

Mark Walford’s improving stayer backed up that run when beating Sounds Russian by half a length in Wetherby’s Boxing Day feature, taking his tally to five wins from eight starts over fences.

Walford feels the 142-rated stayer is nearing his prime and considers him nicely handicapped should he take his chance in the Aintree spectacular.

“We are in discussions at the moment, deciding whether we might run him in the National or not,” he said.

“He is off a perfect handicap mark and a lot of previous winners were around the same mark. Emmet Mullins’ horse won it off 148 last year.

“We are certainly not decided on that by any means, but it is one of the races we are thinking about. Otherwise it might be the Ultima at Cheltenham.”

The Sky Bet Handicap Chase at Doncaster on January 28 is one option for the Wendy Hamilton-owned Into Overdrive.

Walford said: “We will look at the Sky Bet at the end of January, which is the next logical race. If we are going to go for the National, which is very much 50-50, we will not run until the weights come out.”

Into Overdrive has looked highly progressive since winning a novice handicap chase at Carlisle in March off a mark of 112.

Having gone clear four out under Jamie Hamilton in the three-mile Rowland Meyrick, he had just enough to fend off Sounds Russian.

Walford feels he still has to improve plenty to be thought of in terms of a Gold Cup contender, however.

“He is going the right way and is a very tough horse,” added the Sherriff Hutton handler. “He goes on any ground and distance is not particularly important. He can win from two and a half miles to three miles and maybe further.

“He has a lot to find to become a Gold Cup horse. There would not be many people putting Sounds Russian forward as a real Gold Cup contender and off level weights we wouldn’t be beating him.

“He needs to improve a lot. He needs to find at least 15lb to be a Gold Cup prospect.

“He is certainly in his prime. We will see how we go, but I would imagine we would be sticking to handicaps for the time being.”



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