Archive - Thursday, 8 February 2001


Find by date

Other ways to search

Also look for

Never miss anything again. Sign up for our RSS news feeds and Newsletters.

Kelso kind to local racers

IT isn't often that a dull, drizzly Thursday afternoon at Kelso provides the most significant racing action for Ryedale yards, but such was the case last week.

The weather once again proved to be a major player, causing Wetherby's interesting Saturday card to be abandoned along with Warwick's additional fixture, whilst this week's meetings at Musselburgh and Market Rasen also succumbed to the prevailing snow and rain.

Malcolm Jefferson's Dibea Times made it four wins from four starts over hurdles when scoring in Kelso's juvenile novices hurdle. Afterwards it became known that the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival was a real option.

As a four-year-old, it will not be unique if Dibea times does go for the championships, but the last contender of that age was Kirriemuir, back in 1964. For the last juvenile winner we have to go back to 1942, when Forestation won.

Malcolm, who trained Dato Star to finish sixth in the championship last year, said: Dibea Times is very good, but Cheltenham is a long way away and he would want soft ground. I especially like the horse's jumping he just seems to skip over the hurdles. He is certainly very mature and has a great temperament.

The horse's owner, Raymond Anderson Green, was very upbeat about his Kelso victory and suggested if conditions were in his favour, the Champion Hurdle would be a likelier target than the novice contest at Cheltenham.

Another Cheltenham contestant could be Peter Beaumont's Hunters Tweed, who gained his second win from two starts over obstacles when winning Kelso's Tote Top Of The North Novices Hurdle.

Peter told me: I think Hunters Tweed is a really nice sort but I hope to give him another race before viewing the options of the two novices hurdles at the Festival. I'll only run him there if we think he's good enough.

A third local winner at the Scottish track was Mick Easterby's Banker Count (last week's Teaser Tip). Ridden by Richard McGrath who landed a 103-1 double when winning the next race on Cosmic Case, Banker Count gained some compensation for an unlucky defeat at Doncaster the previous week.

Updated: 13:43 Thursday, February 08, 2001