4.25 at Newbury a race to watch A year on from his triumph in the Lincolnshire at the Curragh, Big Robert has found friends in the market for the Coffee Yard "Hands And Heels" Novices' Handicap Hurdle at Newbury today. Peter Carberry will be legged up on the Medicean seven-year-old by trainer Matt Sheppard and he has been almost halved in price from 20/1 into 11/1 by one leading layer for the two mile three furlong contest at 4.25. Big Robert was a £15,000 buy back at Doncaster in November. Of course he enjoyed his biggest day for trainer Paul Deegan and owner Mark Gittins. Deegan said of him in a stable tour in April 2010: "He bounced back to form when he won the Lincoln. We felt that he didn't stay (10 furlongs) the last day. He is in the Amethyst Stakes, but he won't be risked on fast ground. "We may have to travel with him, but he has already won a big pot, so we are in no rush with him. It has taken us a while to get to know him but we find out a bit more about him every day. We just let him fall out of the gates and, once he starts to pass horses, he loves it. He looks great and is a lovely horse to have in the yard." There are some interesting jockeys in this race, many with Irish connections. Kielan Woods (started off here with Caroline Hutchinson) rides the fancied Wild Desert and Aodhagan Conlon is on the point-to-point winner Cousin Maggie (won at Tyrella for Sarah Dawson).
