Baltazar tackles Newbury contest Gordon Elliott sends Baltazar D'Allier across to Newbury for Saturday's Betfred Challow Novices' Hurdle. The winning pointer made a very pleasing start to his career under Rules when registering a six-length triumph at Naas last month. Frank Berry, racing manager for owner JP McManus, said: "He won his maiden hurdle nicely at Naas. It's a step up for him, but we'll learn a bit more about him on Saturday." Colin Tizzard bids to end a fantastic year on a high as Elegant Escape shoots for Grade One glory. The festive period has proven particularly fruitful for the Dorset handler, with Thistlecrack a scintillating winner of the King George VI Chase before Native River confirmed himself as a genuine Gold Cup contender with a tremendous weight-carrying performance in the Welsh Grand National. Elegant Escape's career is very much in its infancy, but the 150,000-euro purchase looks another exciting addition to the team judged by victories at Chepstow and Ascot this autumn. Tizzard said: "He's a very nice young horse. He's stepping up all the time and you forget he's only a four-year-old as he's done so much already. "We've had this race in mind since his last one and we're looking forward to it." Robin Roe is a major contender for the increasingly formidable combination of Dan and Harry Skelton. Like Elegant Escape, the five-year-old was recruited from the Irish point-to-point scene. He looked the part when winning a Warwick bumper in March and could not have been more impressive when making a victorious debut over hurdles at Aintree in October, beating subsequent dual winner No Comment by 12 lengths. Connections immediately confirmed this prize as his next objective, and Dan Skelton has been thrilled with his preparation. "We're very excited about running him," said the Alcester-based trainer. "He's obviously only had the one run over hurdles, but he's done everything we've asked of him at home since. It's a big day and we're looking forward to it."
