"We are still looking towards Cheltenham for both Balder Succes and Valdez, and, while we hope they will be good enough to run in the Arkle, Plan B would be the Grand Annual Chase.
"Balder Succes looked very good at Chepstow first time out and then beat a subsequent winner in good time at Warwick. We can put a line through his disappointing run in the Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown as he came back wrong, but he has enjoyed a good break and when I think the horses have turned the corner we will step up his work. We need to find out which route we should take, so he will run in one of the better two-mile novice chases, which should determine if we have an Arkle or a Grand Annual horse.
"It is the same story with Valdez, and we will try and keep him and Balder Succes apart until Cheltenham. Valdez was due to take on Dodging Bullets at Kempton over Christmas, but I took him out, a decision which was more related to the ground as I did not want to risk him when there were slight question marks about my horses. Who know what he beat at Newbury, but he was certainly visually impressive and his comeback race should tell us which way to go.
"Another possible for the Grand Annual could be Raya Star. He has done nothing wrong in three races over fences, and, while it would be silly to say he did not stay the two miles and three furlongs when beaten at Ascot last time, I think ideally he wants a fast-run two miles.
"All Raya Star's big hurdles wins came off a strong pace, and he is at his best when he has something to aim at, so, while he will take in another small field novice chase somewhere when we start up again, the Grand Annual could be his race at Cheltenham. There he would probably get a big field and a strong gallop, and, hopefully good ground, and all those three things will play to his strengths."
Like Balder Succes, Godsmejudge came back from Sandown's Tingle Creek meeting wrong, and Alan reports that "he is still not 100%". He added:"The plan had been this week-end's Classic Chase at Warwick, but he remains on the back-burner for the time being, and we might look at something like the Haydock National Trial, with Aintree still very much the ultimate aim."
Looking at some of our other classier horses, Alan said: "Batonnier ran really well on his comeback behind Vendor at Newbury, and he will now go over fences. He has schooled well, and we will look for something at the end of the month around two and a half miles, but he needs to get experience before we start thinking about Cheltenham.
"Carraig Mor came back from Ascot wrong and was very quiet for a while. He is gradually coming back to himself, but I am not convinced that he is either physically or mentally ready for Cheltenham this season. I think he is very good, but he is not yet the finished article, and, while his next run will tell us a lot, I am already thinking about next season when he could be exciting over fences.
"Chocala's Newbury race is working out well, and that was a very pleasing debut on ground that had dried up more than he would have liked. However, I won't sacrifice his novice status for a small prize, and it was a pity we had to take him out of the Finale Junior Hurdle at Chepstow last month as that race had always been the plan. He was not right at the time, but he if he bounces back in the next couple of weeks we could still look towards Cheltenham at the end of the month, with the Triumph Hurdle still being a possibility come March if all went well.
"Grumeti never ran a race in the Christmas Hurdle, and you only have to look at his Newcastle run behind My Tent Or Tours in the Fighting Fifth to know that Kempton was not him. He has had treatment and a couple of quiet weeks, but he will be starting up again soon, and if he is firing in time for the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton next month he could go there.
"Manyriverstocross and Uxizandre could both be bound for the old Jewson Chase. Manyriverstocross found two miles too sharp at Sandown last time but still ought to have run better than he did. We will step him back up to two and a half when he returns, and that is also the trip we are looking at for with Uxizandre.
"He was due to go to Cheltenham on New Year's Day but his tracheal wash was unsatisfactory so we pulled him out. He has won both his races over fences so far in good style and we know he has to go left-handed, so, hopefully, we can find a race either at the end of this month or the start of next and, if he looks like being good enough, he could have a crack at the Jewson. We know that he stays three miles, but AP (McCoy) is keen we stay around two and a half or two miles and five for the time being as he is showing plenty of pace.
"Medermit had to miss Cheltenham's New Year meeting as he pulled a muscle behind. He has an entry in the Gold Cup, and the dream is to get him there is one piece, so we will be looking for a race for him soon.
"Medinas is going for the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham at the end of the month provided all goes well. He could end up in the World Hurdle, where we might be able to nick some place money, and he has a lot going for him as he is best in the spring, has the heart of a terrier, loves Cheltenham and has been running well when a lot of my horses have been under a cloud, so there could be some improvement to come.
"Meister Eckhart all but came down at Wincanton and it took him some time to get over that, but he schooled well last week and we will look to bring him back for a two and a half mile novice chase at the end of the month. He lacks experience so he could have done without this enforced break, so if he does not win next time we could look to go back to hurdles and start back novice chasing early next season.
"Everyone knows how highly I rate our French recruit Memberof. He ran no sort of race at Aintree in November and afterwards we got his soft palate cauterised. I thought about Kempton over Christmas as he had been working really well at home, but the holding ground put me off. He is a horse that I like a lot, but he has to now go and do it on the track.
"Montbazon has not raced since finishing fourth in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham two years ago, but he is ready to resume as soon as we get going again. He has been dropped to a mark of 140, so we will start him off in one of the better handicap hurdles and see where it takes us. He will definitely stay hurdling this season.
"Smad Place will have one more run before the RSA Chase at Cheltenham. He is a horse who does not take too much racing, so if we go quietly on the run up to the Festival there might be a little left for the end of the season.
"Two Rockers has been one of the worst affected by the problems we have encountered. He came back from his brush-hurdle run at Haydock totally wrong and, he is taking a long time to come right again. He will probably need another month at least, so it is getting a bit late to switch to fences this season and we might have to wait until next winter. We could try and get him qualified for the Pertemps Hurdle Final, but the key to him is the ground, He is a proper mudlark, which makes the fact that he is not right at the moment even more frustrating.
"Vendor missed Sandown last week as he was not pleasing me. However, I was delighted to see him bounce back so well at Newbury, and we will look for another decent handicap and might then consider the Coral Cup at Cheltenham.
"Walkon needs to get back on track soon as we are running out of time to get him qualified for Aintree. He has been second in the Topham over the National fences, but that was only over two miles and six furlongs and he has to be placed over three miles in order to qualify for the Grand National, so we are looking for a suitable race.
"Wilde Blue Yonder is entered for both the Supreme and the Neptune at Cheltenham, He is fine after his fall at Newbury, where he would have gone very close if he had jumped the last. He dived at one or two at Newbury so needs to have a few sessions on the schooling grounds. We will probably stick to two miles until he tells us otherwise, and we think he is pretty smart.
"Gone Too Far also has a few Cheltenham entries. He bumped into a decent horse of Philip Hobbs's at Warwick, though I am not convinced our fellow was quite at his best. It took him a while to get over that race but he seems fresh and well now, and we will look to bring him back soon. He is definitely good enough for the Festival, but whether he goes for one of the novices or we look at one of the handicaps will probably depend on what mark he gets.
"L'Unique could still be a possible for the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle. She was a star for us last winter, but she has been disappointing this season, and the Greatwood took a lot out of her. She has had a good break and now seems in good order, so we will go down the mares route and if she shows more of her old spark when she returns we could certainly look at Cheltenham.
"Both Tiger Cliff and First Mohican schooled on the grass for the first time last week. They have settled in well since they came from the Cecils and have taken to jumping, so we will be looking to get them started in three weeks or so.
"Tiger Cliff will get an entry in both the Supreme and the Neptune, whereas First Mohican, who was a Group horse on the Flat, looks a real two-miler so would be aimed towards the Supreme, His work has been very good and he is very enthusiastic, whereas Tiger Cliff, the Ebor winner, goes about his business quietly and only does what he has to do. He looks more of a stayer, as his Flat form would suggest, and I am looking forward to getting them both started."
"Balder Succes looked very good at Chepstow first time out and then beat a subsequent winner in good time at Warwick. We can put a line through his disappointing run in the Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown as he came back wrong, but he has enjoyed a good break and when I think the horses have turned the corner we will step up his work. We need to find out which route we should take, so he will run in one of the better two-mile novice chases, which should determine if we have an Arkle or a Grand Annual horse.
"It is the same story with Valdez, and we will try and keep him and Balder Succes apart until Cheltenham. Valdez was due to take on Dodging Bullets at Kempton over Christmas, but I took him out, a decision which was more related to the ground as I did not want to risk him when there were slight question marks about my horses. Who know what he beat at Newbury, but he was certainly visually impressive and his comeback race should tell us which way to go.
"Another possible for the Grand Annual could be Raya Star. He has done nothing wrong in three races over fences, and, while it would be silly to say he did not stay the two miles and three furlongs when beaten at Ascot last time, I think ideally he wants a fast-run two miles.
"All Raya Star's big hurdles wins came off a strong pace, and he is at his best when he has something to aim at, so, while he will take in another small field novice chase somewhere when we start up again, the Grand Annual could be his race at Cheltenham. There he would probably get a big field and a strong gallop, and, hopefully good ground, and all those three things will play to his strengths."
Like Balder Succes, Godsmejudge came back from Sandown's Tingle Creek meeting wrong, and Alan reports that "he is still not 100%". He added:"The plan had been this week-end's Classic Chase at Warwick, but he remains on the back-burner for the time being, and we might look at something like the Haydock National Trial, with Aintree still very much the ultimate aim."
Looking at some of our other classier horses, Alan said: "Batonnier ran really well on his comeback behind Vendor at Newbury, and he will now go over fences. He has schooled well, and we will look for something at the end of the month around two and a half miles, but he needs to get experience before we start thinking about Cheltenham.
"Carraig Mor came back from Ascot wrong and was very quiet for a while. He is gradually coming back to himself, but I am not convinced that he is either physically or mentally ready for Cheltenham this season. I think he is very good, but he is not yet the finished article, and, while his next run will tell us a lot, I am already thinking about next season when he could be exciting over fences.
"Chocala's Newbury race is working out well, and that was a very pleasing debut on ground that had dried up more than he would have liked. However, I won't sacrifice his novice status for a small prize, and it was a pity we had to take him out of the Finale Junior Hurdle at Chepstow last month as that race had always been the plan. He was not right at the time, but he if he bounces back in the next couple of weeks we could still look towards Cheltenham at the end of the month, with the Triumph Hurdle still being a possibility come March if all went well.
"Grumeti never ran a race in the Christmas Hurdle, and you only have to look at his Newcastle run behind My Tent Or Tours in the Fighting Fifth to know that Kempton was not him. He has had treatment and a couple of quiet weeks, but he will be starting up again soon, and if he is firing in time for the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton next month he could go there.
"Manyriverstocross and Uxizandre could both be bound for the old Jewson Chase. Manyriverstocross found two miles too sharp at Sandown last time but still ought to have run better than he did. We will step him back up to two and a half when he returns, and that is also the trip we are looking at for with Uxizandre.
"He was due to go to Cheltenham on New Year's Day but his tracheal wash was unsatisfactory so we pulled him out. He has won both his races over fences so far in good style and we know he has to go left-handed, so, hopefully, we can find a race either at the end of this month or the start of next and, if he looks like being good enough, he could have a crack at the Jewson. We know that he stays three miles, but AP (McCoy) is keen we stay around two and a half or two miles and five for the time being as he is showing plenty of pace.
"Medermit had to miss Cheltenham's New Year meeting as he pulled a muscle behind. He has an entry in the Gold Cup, and the dream is to get him there is one piece, so we will be looking for a race for him soon.
"Medinas is going for the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham at the end of the month provided all goes well. He could end up in the World Hurdle, where we might be able to nick some place money, and he has a lot going for him as he is best in the spring, has the heart of a terrier, loves Cheltenham and has been running well when a lot of my horses have been under a cloud, so there could be some improvement to come.
"Meister Eckhart all but came down at Wincanton and it took him some time to get over that, but he schooled well last week and we will look to bring him back for a two and a half mile novice chase at the end of the month. He lacks experience so he could have done without this enforced break, so if he does not win next time we could look to go back to hurdles and start back novice chasing early next season.
"Everyone knows how highly I rate our French recruit Memberof. He ran no sort of race at Aintree in November and afterwards we got his soft palate cauterised. I thought about Kempton over Christmas as he had been working really well at home, but the holding ground put me off. He is a horse that I like a lot, but he has to now go and do it on the track.
"Montbazon has not raced since finishing fourth in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham two years ago, but he is ready to resume as soon as we get going again. He has been dropped to a mark of 140, so we will start him off in one of the better handicap hurdles and see where it takes us. He will definitely stay hurdling this season.
"Smad Place will have one more run before the RSA Chase at Cheltenham. He is a horse who does not take too much racing, so if we go quietly on the run up to the Festival there might be a little left for the end of the season.
"Two Rockers has been one of the worst affected by the problems we have encountered. He came back from his brush-hurdle run at Haydock totally wrong and, he is taking a long time to come right again. He will probably need another month at least, so it is getting a bit late to switch to fences this season and we might have to wait until next winter. We could try and get him qualified for the Pertemps Hurdle Final, but the key to him is the ground, He is a proper mudlark, which makes the fact that he is not right at the moment even more frustrating.
"Vendor missed Sandown last week as he was not pleasing me. However, I was delighted to see him bounce back so well at Newbury, and we will look for another decent handicap and might then consider the Coral Cup at Cheltenham.
"Walkon needs to get back on track soon as we are running out of time to get him qualified for Aintree. He has been second in the Topham over the National fences, but that was only over two miles and six furlongs and he has to be placed over three miles in order to qualify for the Grand National, so we are looking for a suitable race.
"Wilde Blue Yonder is entered for both the Supreme and the Neptune at Cheltenham, He is fine after his fall at Newbury, where he would have gone very close if he had jumped the last. He dived at one or two at Newbury so needs to have a few sessions on the schooling grounds. We will probably stick to two miles until he tells us otherwise, and we think he is pretty smart.
"Gone Too Far also has a few Cheltenham entries. He bumped into a decent horse of Philip Hobbs's at Warwick, though I am not convinced our fellow was quite at his best. It took him a while to get over that race but he seems fresh and well now, and we will look to bring him back soon. He is definitely good enough for the Festival, but whether he goes for one of the novices or we look at one of the handicaps will probably depend on what mark he gets.
"L'Unique could still be a possible for the David Nicholson Mares Hurdle. She was a star for us last winter, but she has been disappointing this season, and the Greatwood took a lot out of her. She has had a good break and now seems in good order, so we will go down the mares route and if she shows more of her old spark when she returns we could certainly look at Cheltenham.
"Both Tiger Cliff and First Mohican schooled on the grass for the first time last week. They have settled in well since they came from the Cecils and have taken to jumping, so we will be looking to get them started in three weeks or so.
"Tiger Cliff will get an entry in both the Supreme and the Neptune, whereas First Mohican, who was a Group horse on the Flat, looks a real two-miler so would be aimed towards the Supreme, His work has been very good and he is very enthusiastic, whereas Tiger Cliff, the Ebor winner, goes about his business quietly and only does what he has to do. He looks more of a stayer, as his Flat form would suggest, and I am looking forward to getting them both started."
