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Cheveley Park Stud are doing their bit to aid Willie Mullins‘ title defence by sending Classic Getaway to Cheltenham for Wednesday’s Matt Hampson Foundation Silver Trophy.
The Closutton handler looked to face an uphill task to reel in Dan Skelton a couple of weeks ago, but a spectacular Grand National meeting at Aintree followed by a Scottish Grand National one-two at the weekend has dramatically turned the tide in his favour in the race to be crowned champion trainer.
With less than two weeks of the season to go, Skelton holds the slenderest of leads and both trainers are unsurprisingly well represented across the two days at Prestbury Park.
A total prize fund of £70,000 is up for grabs in the Grade Two feature and the big two go head-to-head, with Mullins running Classic Getaway and O’Moore Park, and Skelton sending Riskintheground back into battle five days after bolting up at Ayr, as well as saddling outsider Harper’s Brook.
Classic Getaway cost Cheveley Park £570,000 five years ago and while he has struggled to fulfil his early promise, he heads to the Cotswolds fresh from the biggest victory of his career so far in the Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park in February.
Richard Thompson
Cheveley Park director Richard Thompson said: “He was good at Gowran and we’d have big hopes on Wednesday, hopefully we can help Willie get some more prize-money.
“He’s a horse who cost a lot of money and I suppose there were going to be big hopes of him, but he’s doing his job and we enjoy having him in the squad.
“We’ll always try to help Willie if possible. He’s given us a few Cheltenham wins and a few big ones and it’s reciprocal in that respect.
“Grangeclare West obviously made some good prize-money for him and us when finishing third in the Grand National, so hopefully Classic Getaway can do his bit as well.”
Mullins is also represented by both Dr Eggman and Toad Hall in the £20,000 Citipost Novices’ Hurdle, while Skelton has a total of six runners on the card, with Doyen Quest, Illico De Cotte, Mr Hope Street and Williethebuilder all aiming to boost the trainer’s prize pot.
Other Runners
It is the same story on Thursday, with Mullins’ Sainte Lucie taking on the Skelton-trained Our Lil in the £40,000 KTDA Fillies’ Juvenile Handicap Hurdle, while Mullins runs both Judicieuse Allen and A Penny A Hundred in the £50,000 Aston Martin Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Chase.
They do battle again in the £40,000 Changing Young Lives At Jamie’s Farm Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, with Sainte Tartare (Mullins) and Settle Down Jill (Skelton) bidding for Listed honours.
Skelton also sends Coco Mademoiselle and Lady Jago in to bat in the Exertis-Samsung Racing Excellence Award Challenger Series Mares’ Chase Final, Pawapuri contests the Catesby Estates Mares’ Challenger Series Final Handicap Hurdle, Shakeyatailfeather goes in the Holland Cooper Mares’ Handicap Chase and Sheezer Dancer makes her debut in the Junior Jumpers Mares’ Open National Hunt Flat Race.
