Ground to determine Bass Hunter’s Newbury run

Chris Gordon is not afraid to head straight to Cheltenham with star bumper performer Bass Hunter if the ground at Newbury next weekend does not allow a pre-Festival tune-up.

After missing an intended outing at Windsor with his Ascot Listed winner, who is all the rage for the Champion Bumper, the Morestead handler had the William Hill Racing Bet Builder Beacons pencilled in for Bass Hunter’s final tune-up before the spring.

But as he readies the best team he has ever assembled for the Festival, Gordon is keen to avoid testing ground with the shining light in his thriving string.

Gordon said: “He’s in great order, but I just don’t want to be running on bad ground and he’s a big horse with a big future.

“If Newbury is not quite right, we will head straight to Cheltenham with him I think. I just don’t want him pulled about so close to Cheltenham in bad ground.

“It would be nice to go to Newbury on decent ground and he’s in good order, but he does need protecting being so good.”

Festival Ambitions High For Elite Squad

Bass Hunter will be joined at National Hunt’s showpiece event by a raft of stablemates as the handler has made a conscious effort to focus on Prestbury Park’s main four days in March this season.

Among those pencilled in for Festival action is Electric Mason who was second to Cleeve Hurdle hero Ma Shantou at Cheltenham in October before winning a valuable prize at Haydock on his next start.

Recent Newbury winner Andashan who was second to Dan Skelton’s Relkeel winner Kabral Du Mathan on his penultimate outing, is another on the team sheet alongside Grand Annual-bound David’s Well, unbeaten in two starts this term including in the Cotswolds in December.

“Definitely this will be the nicest team I’ve sent to Cheltenham,” continued Gordon.

“I just thought we’ll concentrate on it a bit more this season, especially with these handicappers. It’s something I’ve not really targeted in the past, but this year I’m up for having a crack.

Tactical Plan Set For Handicap Raiders

“Electric Mason will be going straight to the Pertemps and Andashan has been progressive this season and will head for the Martin Pipe.

“He was third first time out at Newbury before finishing second to the smart Dan Skelton horse at Haydock the day we had three winners and he was the one who came second. He then went and won nicely last time back at Newbury.”

He went on: “We also have David’s Well who is in really good order and after he won at Cheltenham, we thought we’d put him away and go straight to the Grand Annual. He’s a really nice horse and the pace of the race will suit him.

“Harry Cobden said he would have won more comfortably if they had gone a better gallop last time and he’s exciting to be going to the Festival with.”

Injury Forces Retirement Of Stable Star

Grade Two-winning novice hurdler Diamond Hunter looks an unlikely Cheltenham contender as he continues to be plagued by the setback that kept him out of Aintree’s Formby Novices’ Hurdle on Boxing Day and a trip to Haydock for the Rossington Main earlier this month.

“It’s just a real pain that keeps carrying on and on and on and I’m sure we’ll see him again at some point this season,” added Gordon.

“However, it’s probably going to be more Aintree than anything and he’s a lovely chaser for next season, so we will want him dead right before we go again.

Definitely this will be the nicest team I’ve sent to Cheltenham.

Chris Gordon

“He’s had this infection in his foot and it’s just been a bore to get him back right.”

Gordon also revealed long-time stable stalwart Annual Invictus has been retired after sustaining an injury when an eyecatching fourth in cross-country action on Cheltenham Festival Trials day.

He added: “He had a fractured pedal bone after the race – he hit one of the jumps quite hard but then galloped all the way to the line.

“Sadly we’ve had to retire him and we were looking at going back for the Festival with him, but he’s been a great servant for us and we’ll find him a decent home.”