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Monday’s racing round-up brings news that Banbridge remains on course for the King George on Boxing Day…
Joseph O'Brien's Banbridge remains on course for the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day despite his final flight tumble at Cork yesterday. The Ronnie Bartlett-owned chaser looked set to make a race of it with dual Champion Chase hero Energumene before departing the Hilly Way Chase at the final flight and will now step up to three miles for the first time under Rules, with the Boxing Day feature firmly in his sights. Joseph O'Brien's charge, who is a general 14/1 shot, is no stranger to success at Kempton having defeated Pic D'Orhy in the Grade 2 Silviniaco Conti Chase at the track in January.
Ferny Hollow has passed away following a fall on his reappearance in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork on Sunday. Racecourse starts have been a rarity for Willie Mullins' talented gelding since winning the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival four years ago, but there's no doubt he could mix it with the very best when on his A-game, evidenced by his defeat of Bob Olinger on his sole outing over hurdles at Gowran Park and his Grade 1 victory in the 2021 Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown. The Cheveley Park-owned nine-year-old was still in contention when parting ways with Patrick Mullins at the penultimate fence but sadly passed away due to injury shortly thereafter.
Alan King reported his stable star Edwardstone to be fine after crashing out four fences from home in the Tingle Creek at Sandown on Sunday. A spectacular winner of the race in 2022, he still looked to be travelling kindly at the time when departing and his handler now has the Desert Orchid Chase strongly on his mind. For the second successive season, the Desert Orchid Chase will be run as a handicap following a change to the race conditions.
Il Ridoto could bid for back-to-back valuable handicaps at Cheltenham after he featured among the fourteen five-day entries for the December Gold Cup on Monday. Paul Nicholls' possible contender, who landed the Paddy Power Gold Cup under Freddie Gingell last month, could be joined by stablemate and former Grade 1 winner Stage Star, while the Dan Skelton-trained Madara will be hoping to reverse the form having finished fourth behind Il Ridoto last time. Galway Plate winner Pinkerton and Willie Mullins' James Du Berlais were the only two Irish horses to remain in contention.
Daryl Jacob will return to riding out later in the week as he goes through the gears in his bid for a full recovery from an injury sustained when schooling at Henry De Bromhead's in March. Jacob, who has already announced his retirement from the saddle at the end of the season, entered an elite list of jockeys to have ridden 1,000 winners earlier in the year.
Tom Dascombe has plenty of plans for his impressive Sandown juvenile hurdle winner Hot Fuss, with The Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow over Christmas seemingly top of the agenda. After finishing runner-up to subsequent G2 winner East India Dock on his hurdling bow at Wincanton, Hot Fuss was sent off a warm 4/9 favourite at Sandown on Saturday and he had little problem in delivering the goods when strolling to a comfortable three-and-a-half length success under David Bass. A tilt at The Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow now looks like his next port of call, although Dascombe also revealed he could revert to the flat for the Chester Cup consolation race.
