Ga Law was among 12 confirmations received for the SkyBet Chase this Saturday, and his trainer Jamie Snowden believes there is more to come from him as he tries 3m for the first time.
The seven-year-old has been relatively lightly raced throughout his career, with just nine starts to his name under rules and he achieved a personal-best last time when winning the Paddy Power Chase at Cheltenham in determined style.
Snowden said: “We set about with the plan of going to the Paddy Power and trying to win that this year. Off the back of a year off we gave him a nice prep run in the Old Roan. He came forward for that and won the Paddy Power. After a year off, we were conscious that it was only a three-week gap between the Old Roan and the Paddy Power so we were always keen to give him a break after that and come back for the New Year and the Spring.”
This will be the first time Ga Law has run over this distance, but Snowden is confident the step up in trip will yield further progress and potentially open the door to bigger options down in the Spring.
He added: “He’s only a young horse with very few miles on the clock and you’d like to think there’s a degree of improvement in him and hopefully part of that improvement comes from going up in trip as well. He’s in the Ryanair this year and we’ll certainly think along those lines depending on how he gets on.”
Among the other 11 horses to have been declared is another fast improving type in the shape of Tea For Free who is chasing a fifth successive victory. Last year’s winner, Windsor Avenue will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of the race since Ziga Boy,while Cap Du Nord has finished third in this contest in each of the last two years.
Grimthorpe Chase winner Undersupervision returns to the scene of his most recent career win, while Nicky Henderson has declared his maiden-chaser Mister Coffey. Champion jockey Brian Hughes has never won this contest before but is booked to ride Cloth Cap, while Nico de Boinville is an interesting jockey booking aboard Java Point. Elvis Mail, Demachine, Cooper’s Cross and Shanty Alley complete the field for the race worth almost £100,000.
A competitive field of 10 have been declared for the Albert Bartlett River Don Novices' Hurdle (G2) over 3m, including the unbeaten Stay Away Fay, while former Champion Hurdler Epatante will face five rivals in the Sky Bet Yorkshire Rose Mares' Hurdle (G2).
The MND Association Race For Research Lightning Novices' Chase (G2) sees six go to post, with Tommy’s Oscar set to take on Boothill in an intriguing clash.
About Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse is a Group 1 racecourse and one of the oldest racecourses for horse racing in Britain, typically hosting 37 race fixtures per year. Home of the prestigious Cazoo St Leger Festival in September, this is the leading sporting occasion of the Autumn calendar and an event that draws thousands of expectant racegoers from far and wider the experience the historic racing moment.
Outside of racing, Doncaster Racecourse is renowned for hosting exceptional corporate events and conferences, weddings, private parties, and the infamous 'Christmas Live' Christmas party nights.
For further information please contact:
Sam Cone, Arena Racing Company on 07920 404296 or SCone@arenaracingcompany.co.uk
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