Overturn: one of several Arkle hopefuls set for action this weekend

 PICTURE: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos) 

Arkle hopefuls in the spotlight this weekend

THE 2012 Racing Post Arkle winner was the headline act at Cheltenham last Saturday and it is a number of his potential successors who take centre stage this weekend.

This year’s crop of two-mile novice chasers have a hard act to follow in Sprinter Sacre, who bolstered an already imposing reputation when blitzing his rivals last weekend.

Another Nicky Henderson-trained star, Simonsig, is odds-on favourite for this year’s Arkle, but contests at Sandown and Musselburgh this weekend could shake up the market for the festival’s opening-day chasing highlight.

At Sandown on Saturday Simonsig’s stablemate Captain Conan will likely start a warm favourite for the Grade 1 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase, though the Jewson, as well as the Arkle, will be part of his festival considerations, while Paul Nicholls told the Racing Post that he had entered Rebel Rebellion for a race which attracted seven possibles, and thus was reopened until Tuesday.

Musselburgh’s festival trials day on Sunday has lured Overturn, Tap Night and yet another of Henderson’s awesome squad, Tetlami, who are all entered for the 2m4f novice chase.

Overturn’s trainer Donald McCain, it was revealed on Monday, had been instrumental in the track adding a two mile novice chase option to their card, entries for which close on Tuesday morning.

“I spoke to Bill [Farnsworth, general manager] and when they make an effort like this, they should be encouraged,” McCain said. “So the plan is to go to Musselburgh, where it looks like Overturn will get some nice ground to run on.”

Overturn is second favourite for the Arkle, being priced at between 4-1 and 5-1, while Tetlami and Tap Night are around 20-1 and 33-1.

More markets for this weekend’s action are likely to be formed in the next couple of days, but punters can already start weighing up the Betfred and Levy Board-backed Heroes Handicap Hurdle at Sandown.

The sponsor inserted Oscara Dara as 4-1 clear favourite, ahead of Rangitoto at 8-1 and Bakbenscher and Consigliere at 9s. Oscara Dara, however, is also engaged in the William Hill Welsh Champion Hurdle.

Weather-wise, hopes are high that by the end of the week the abandonments that have littered the racing programme will have disappeared, and Channel 4 plans to show live action from three different tracks on Saturday, with Wetherby’s Totepool-sponsored Towton Novices’ Chase joining the best of Ffos Las and Sandown in their package.

Fentara could be among those contesting the Grade 2 Towton. The eight-year-old, trained at Sheriff Hutton by Tim Walford, has progressed in each of her four starts over fences, placing on two occasions at Newcastle, falling when in contention at Catterick, before winning by 38 lengths at Kelso on January 13.

Walford said on Monday: “Fentara is a possible runner but I want to see what the opposition is like before committing to the race. She is rated 127 and I think you need to be rated 137, but we will see what’s in because she will like the ground.

“She is in really good form at the moment and seems to be improving with every run, but she is still a bit novicey. The cheekpieces helped her concentrate at Kelso and the only mistake she made was at the last, but Daryl [Jacob] blames himself for that.

“We have got the EBF Mares’ Final at Newbury in the back of our minds for her but it’s at the end of March and we don’t know what the ground is going to be like. She needs it soft and will be put in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase at Cheltenham as well. We will see what materialises.”

fonte: Racingpost