Horse Racing: What A Friend exempted from the Lexus bid
The racehorse What A Friend will not be running in the Lexus Chase to claim his second victory in the event. This announcement was made by the trainer Paul Nicholls that the champion three-miler will not be taking part in the Lexus Chase that will
be taking place in Ireland.
The colt gained fame about 12 months ago when he was fifth place finisher to the celebrated racehorse Imperial Commander in the first appearance of the racing season, he Betfair Chase. His fans were expecting him to make an effective comeback in the highlight
event of the Christmas Festival at Leopardstown.
According to Paul Nicholls’ twitter account, it was revealed on Monday morning that since the ground of the Leopardstown racecourse is heavy and waterlogged because of the snow,
What A Friend’s connections decided not to bid the horse for the Ireland meeting.
In the final declarations of the fixture today, 13 runners were confirmed in totality. The list of these competitors included the racehorse Money Trix. The colt was a runner up to
What A Friend in the last racing season. The Listener was also made part of the British raiding party. The racehorse trains under the care of the trainer Nick Mitchell and has claimed two races on this track including the 2006 edition of the Lexus
Chase.
The trainer Nick Mitchells has been in the city to celebrate Christmas and is now pretty enthusiastic for the event to kick off after it was postponed due to the big freeze. He was reported as saying since the nine inches of snow has melted the ground of
the track looks good. His trainee The Listener has not been on the track for quite some time now, his last participation being the JNwine.com Championship Chase that took place in November 2009, in which he faced a setback.
Talking to the correspondents about The Listener’s development for this event, his trainer Mitchell said, “He came back and had picked up a minor tendon injury, but touch-wood we’ve clear the run with him. The leg’s well and he appears good in order.”
He went on to say, “If he retains any sort of ability, he should go well as he loves it round here.”
On the other hand, the trainer Willie Mullins will be sending out three of his racehorses in the Grade I event, only of the meeting is given a go ahead after the 7.30 a.m. inspection.
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