Trainer Nicky Henderson’s pair in the Irish Times Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle to take down Top Wood
Collected for the Class 3 Irish Times Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle are twenty-four contestants who are four-year-old and above. The race over two miles and five furlongs will be held at Cheltenham on Friday, 16th November. Quite a few
in the line-up are hard to ignore, while the Nicky Henderson’s trainees just cannot be left unaccounted for. The genius of a trainer, Nicky Henderson, has won the 2008, 2009 and 2010 edition of the race and has covered ground with two of his representatives
today.
He has brought to the competition, Titan De Sarti and Kings Lodge. They have mustered up quite reasonable profiles, but blowing that out of proportion is the 5 to 1 entry for the race, Top Wood.
The David Pipe trained has raced just twice during the 2012 season, but the improvement in the second outing was truly remarkable.
The five-year-old chestnut gelding kick started the season with a fifth position in the Haygain Hay Steamers – Clean Healthy Hay Novices’ Hurdle (Div II) on 22nd January, 2012 at Towcester over two miles.
The race was won by, Loose Chips, who had Felix De Giles, onboard.
Top Wood did not take long to set his potential straight as he landed the John Smith’s Novice’s Hurdle on 14th April, 2012 at Chepstow over two miles and half a furlong.
Kotky Bleu’s gelding had jockey, Hadden Frost, guiding him through the track.
The eight hurdles in the field really were not enough to challenge the chestnut gelding as he started off very smoothly, and by the time the final two furlongs still remained, the five-year-old had taken a determined charge. Staying on strong in the concluding
lengths of the race, he set aside the favourite entry, Ulck Du Lin, by 2 ¾ lengths.
Coming at terms with the third position was, Out Of Nothing.
The Nicky Henderson duo has not bagged the prize money of a race recently, but they have the highly likely chances of at least finishing in the frame of the first three positions. Last year, the trainer could not take back the winning title to the stable,
but settled accounts well by dominating the next two positions.
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