Ed Dunlop expecting The Tiger to strike in Mirror Punters Club Maiden Hurdle at Fakenham
After doing the goods on the Flat, Ed Dunlop is set to try his luck over hurdles. The Tiger, who won three Flat races in 2012, is going to Dunlop’s first-ever runner over jumps, as he enters the Mirror Punters Club Maiden Hurdle, to be held at Fakenham on
Tuesday, January 01, 2013.
The veteran handler has always wanted to try his hand in this sphere, and he feels that The Tiger is the one who can take him to glory at the winter game. The 5-year-old is facing no easy task in the 2-mile contest.
Chabal, who is returning to action for more than two years, remains the centre of attention due to his prior classy work on the Flat. Edmaaj, a smart middle-distance handicapper, is another to consider. Despite a very stiff task, Ed Dunlop sounds very confident,
saying that The Tiger is worth a try over jumps.
"It looks very competitive on paper. John Ferguson's horse won the Sandown Classic Trial the season before last and there's Jonjo O'Neill's horse (Edmaaj) and Lucy Wadham's horse (Watered Silk). The Tiger is a big horse by Tiger Hill. I own half of him and
Johnny Weatherby owns the other half,” said Dunlop.
"I've always wanted to have a jumper. He's schooled half a dozen times, with the assistance of Lucy Wadham to start with. Leighton Aspell has schooled him for the majority of it but he's banned so he can't ride him tomorrow. We've got Paul Moloney," he added.
The Tiger is facing five rivals on Fakenham’s soft surface, which according to Dunlop is not a concern. The bay gelding’s track record shows that he handles testing ground very well.
He opened his account on Ripon’s soft surface in June, when defeating the 2-5 favourite, Cathedral, in the SIS Live Maiden Stakes. The son of Tiger Hill registered two consecutive wins in October.
After crushing the opposition on Pontefract’s heavy surface, the useful Flat handicapper carried the momentum forward, and recorded a fascinating triumph on Catterick’s soft. Fakenham’s event is certainly a very interesting maiden hurdle, in which The Tiger
could steal the show in good style.
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