Malcolm Jefferson aims to find form at Cheltenham Festival (From Gazette & Herald)

Malcolm Jefferson aims to find form at Cheltenham Festival

3:08pm Wednesday 10th March 2010 in Sport By Tom O'Ryan

Malcolm Jefferson, no stranger to Cheltenham Festival glory, is set to have two runners at next week’s most prestigious meeting of the National Hunt campaign as he bids to turn round what he describes as a “horrible season”.

The Norton trainer, who intends to saddle Cape Tribulation in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle and Calatagan in the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase, has had more than his fair share of frustrations over the last four months, including the in-and-out form of his horses and the appalling weather, which has put paid to numerous fixtures.

“We’ve never really got going this time. At the back end of the year, we had a few horses with coughs and dirty noses, but even though we got over that, and the horses look really well, we’ve never been altogether happy with them,” he explained.

Jefferson, who had sent out 30 winners in a best-ever campaign the previous term, can count only 11 winners this time around.

“Some horses have run well but others have disappointed. It could be, of course, that they’ve been running on the wrong ground – we’ve lost so much racing that you’ve really got to run them where you can – and that’s never ideal,” he added.

“It’s just been one of those seasons and, typical of racing, when you’re not flying, lots of little things seem to go against you – photo-finishes go the wrong way, your horse makes a mistake in front at the last fence, or you bump into a smart horse and finish second to it in a bumper or a novice hurdle. That’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Come Cheltenham, and Cape Tribulation will be taking on the likes of Big Buck’s and Tidal Bay in the Grade 1 World Hurdle over three miles. Earlier this season, Jefferson had been hoping his talented gelding would make up into a live contender for the Champion Hurdle, run, of course, over the minimum distance.

“He ran three good races against Champion Hurdle horses,” said the Ryedale trainer, who nevertheless accepts that, having had to settle for place money in those efforts, a step back up in trip is now in the horse’s best interests.

“He did win over three miles at Doncaster last season, so we do know he stays,” added Jefferson, who also ran him over the longer trip at last year’s Festival when Cape Tribulation finished a very respectable fifth in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

“He had a lot of little problems last season and might not have been at his very best at Cheltenham. This time, he’s had a clean run and I am very pleased with him.”

To finish in the first three next week would be a major achievement for Cape Tribulation, who is likely to go novice chasing next season.

“The World Hurdle is a tough ask,” confirmed Jefferson. “But he’s working better than he’s ever done and he’s a decent horse. I just hope we get a drop of rain – he’s a better horse on softer ground.”

Calatagan, owned by John and Doreen Davenport, will be making his fifth appearance at a Cheltenham Festival and his fourth in the Grand Annual Chase. Nearer last than first in his first crack in 2007, he finished third in it the following year and a creditable sixth last year.

“He’s a grand old horse,” said Jefferson of the 11-year-old, who has won two Castleford Chases at Wetherby. “He’s won around Cheltenham and has run some good races there. He seems in good form and although there are easy races at the Festival, the Grand Annual is probably one of the slightly less-competitive races.”

Jefferson has been responsible for two winners at jump-racing’s most star-studded gathering.

In 1994, he won the Pertemps Hurdle Final with Tindari and, the following year, he captured the Championship Bumper with Dato Star, a horse who subsequently developed into a top-flight hurdler.

Cape Tribulation and Calatagan have something to live up next week as they bid to add to Jefferson’s Festival tally.

• Ryedale’s big Grand National hope, Character Building, will be in action next Tuesday – on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

The John Quinn-trained gelding, unforgettable winner of the Kim Muir Chase at last year’s meeting, will contest the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase over an extended three miles.

A good run will put him firmly on course for the John Smith’s Grand National on April 10, a race he was forced to miss last year because of injury after figuring among the favourites.

• “Wake up to Wogan” may no longer be the cry on BBC Radio 2, but even if the beloved Sir Terry has decided to take things a little easier, the same cannot be said of his equine namesake, which proved good news at Doncaster last Saturday for Malton-born jockey Andrew Tinkler.

Trained at Lambourn by Nicky Henderson, Wogan won the feature race on Town Moor, the £55,000 Grimthorpe Chase under a stellar ride from Tinkler, who brought home the 5-1 shot with a length and a quarter to spare.

This valuable success was another sizeable feather in the hat of Tinkler, whose father Colin, formerly one of Britain’s top jump jockeys, rode many a winner around Doncaster.

Wogan provided Tinkler jnr with his 29th winner of the campaign – one more than his total for the whole of last season – and was his second major prize of the term, having bagged a Grade 2 race at Ascot in November on Zaynar, who is on course for next week’s Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

• The two-day Doncaster meeting also proved a happy hunting ground for local trainers.

Mick Easterby sent out Diavoleria, given a masterly ride by Denis O’Regan, to land a 33-1 shock win over the odds-on Alegralil, the mount of Tony McCoy, in the mares’ novices’ hurdle, while John Quinn was on the mark with Ballybriggan, who justified favouritism in the hands of Dougie Costello to open his hurdling account.

Quinn and Costello followed up at Stratford on Monday with Tanto Faz, who scarcely broke sweat to post a five-lengths success in the maiden hurdle. Both Highfield horses should certainly win again.

• John Wainwright, back in the winners’ enclosure last Sunday at Sedgefield with his reliable old stalwart Oniz Tiptoes, is counting off the days to the start of the Flat turf season.

The Kennythorpe trainer has been very much in the backwaters in recent times, but he feels genuine cause for optimism as the new campaign approaches.

“We had 20 winners in 2007 and had a filly good enough to take to Royal Ascot. Maybe that spoiled us a bit, and the last two years have been tough. But I’ve got 20 horses in and my main owner, Charles Wentworth, has made a big investment and has bought some nice older horses, so I’m really looking forward to the new season getting going.”

Oniz Tiptoes, who was notching his eighth career win on Sunday, did so in game style under a good ride from Harry Haynes in the long-distance handicap hurdle.

“He just stays and his old joints cause him a few problems these days, but he’s still enthusiastic and capable of winning a race or two,” said Wainwright.