Top performer set to make big comeback (From Gazette & Herald)

Top performer set to make big comeback

One of Ryedale's top performers, whose future career was seriously threatened by the injuries he suffered in an horrific fall at Wetherby last season, is on the comeback trail.

Hussard Collonges, trained at Brandsby by Peter Beaumont, may return to the racecourse next month after making relentless progress in recent months.

"He's had regular scans and each one has been better than the previous one. I'm very happy with him," says Beaumont.

"He's doing strong canters every day now and looks to be really enjoying himself, which is the main thing."

Hussard Collonges, who won the Royal And Sun Alliance Novices' Chase at Cheltenham in 2002 and who contested the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following year, was on the receiving end of a ghastly fall at Wetherby 13 months ago which left him with a fractured pelvis and his racing career in jeopardy.

Happily, the signs now of him returning to the track look much more positive.

"It's too early to say where he'll run, or even when, but I would like to think we'll have him out sometime in February," says Beaumont.

There is also some encouraging news of another of the Ryedale stable's sidelined stars, Hunters Tweed, winner of a valuable handicap at Cheltenham last winter.

He, though, has been conspicuous by his absence so far this term, after developing a sesamoid problem.

"He is back cantering again now as well, and would be at about the same stage as Hussard Collonges," reveals Beaumont, who is also looking to have Hunters Tweed back in action next month.

Flight Command has become the first dual-winner in the Gazette & Herald's Ten To Follow for the jumps season.

The Peter Beaumont-trained gelding, who got the Ryedale list off to a successful start when scoring a 6-1 victory at Bangor in mid-December, followed-up at Wetherby last Saturday at odds of 6-4.

Partnered by Great Habton jockey Russ Garritty, the gelding powered home with two lengths to spare, leaving his trainer well satisfied.

"He's a nice horse, a horse we've always liked, but we won't be rushing him," said Beaumont, who sees Flight Command, still only a novice over fences, as the type to continue progressing through the handicap ranks.

The Ten To Follow list now boasts five winners, with Carte Diamond, Simply Mystic and Doe Nal Rua also contributing to the scoreboard.

Roman Ark heads back across the Pennines in a bid to complete a hat-trick of wins on Saturday.

Malcolm Jefferson's exciting gelding was a wide-margin winner at Haydock last month, and he returns to the Lancashire course to attempt an encore and also add to his previous success at Carlisle.

A strong-galloping, bold jumping performer, Roman Ark is set to display his talents in the Rossington Main Novices' Hurdle, with Fergus King again in the saddle.

The ground at Haydock is sure to be very testing, but Roman Ark has already proved himself very effective under such conditions and could well gallop his rivals into submission in this valuable two-miles event.

Back in North Yorkshire, Jefferson is also likely to be seeking an encore from Kids Inheritance on Saturday. A recent winner at Catterick, the seven-year-old is poised to return to the same course to contest the Ian Hutchinson Memorial Challenge Cup. Jim Crowley will again be pulling on the colours of owners, Doreen and John Davenport.

A sure sign that the year is gathering pace comes in the published shape of the entries for the first leg of the traditional Spring Double - and the likelihood of a strong challenge from this neck of the woods.

A whole host of Ryedale trainers have entered horses in the Stanleybet Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster on April 2, the £100,000 race being not only the highlight to the opening of the Flat Turf season, but also an exciting first half of the Spring Double, which is completed by the John Smith's Grand National at Aintree the following weekend.

Mick Easterby has a trio of possible runners in the one-mile cavalry charge with Blue Spinnaker, winner of last year's Thirsk Hunt Cup and the Zetland Gold Cup at Redcar, leading the way to Hills Of Gold and Strong Hand.

Richard Fahey has made just one entry, Wing Commander, who finished fourth in last year's race, while Norton colleague Brian Ellison could be represented by Everest, who found a rich seam of form last summer, and who is particularly well suited by a straight course.

Intrerestingly, Settrington trainer John Quinn has made an entry for Crow Wood, a new recruit to his Bellwood Cottage yard. Previously trained in Lincolnshire by James Given, Crow Wood has proved himself a tough and talented competitor in valuable handicaps.

Stillington trainer David Chapman has again entered Quito, who was a fast-finishing runner-up in last year's Lincoln to Babodana before proving himself a high-class performer over distances short of a mile. Chapman could be double-handed as he also has St Pancras in the list of entries.

While David Nicholls, based at Sessay near Easingwold, has five entries - Aperitif, Gift Horse, Primus Inter Pares, Sawwaah and Serieux - in terms of sheer quantity, Hambleton trainer Kevin Ryan holds the edge.

He has lodged no fewer than seven entries, comprising Always Esteemed, Cardinal Venture, Cloud Dancer, My Paris, Soyuz, Uhoomagoo and Up Tempo.

A total of 102 entries have been made for this traditional curtain-raiser to the Flat season.

Alan Munro, who won the 1990 Lincoln for Ryedale when steering the Jimmy FitzGerald-trained Evichstar to an all-the-way success, is planning a comeback in Britain this year.

The jockey, who made such huge strides as an apprentice with the Mel Brittain stable at Warthill, near York that he ended up gaining the first-jockey job to Prince Fahd Salman, which brought him a 1991 Derby success on Generous, eventually went to ride in Hong Kong, where he proved very successful.

Munro, though, elected to quit the sport at the end of the 2000 season and has since had a four-year sabbathical.

Now 38, Munro is aiming to return to race-riding in New Zealand shortly and is planning to return to Britain for the start of the Flat Turf season in March.

Three racecourse rides and two winners - that's the proud boast of David Cottle, an amateur jockey attached to Richard Fahey's Malton yard.

The youngster, who got off the mark at his second attempt aboard Pertemps Magus at Wolverhampton recently, followed up at Lingfield last Saturday aboard stable-mate Sir Sandrovitch, which is another horse that has been trained by his Musley Bank boss.

Graham Lee may have returned to the saddle after seven weeks on the sidelines with a broken arm, but there is still no indication of a resumption for Vinnie Keane, who suffered a similar injury.

The Norton jockey has been out since a hurdles fall at Kelso on November 10 left him with a broken radius in his left arm, an injury which required surgery at Scarborough Hospital.

Keane, who rides principally for Brian Ellison, had hoped to be back in action by now, but the healing is proving a slow process and he has been told by doctors that next month is the earliest he can expect to be back in the saddle.

Updated: 14:29 Wednesday, January 19, 2005