Booster Heads Contest Nine

Rooster Booster may bring his long and distinguished career to an end tomorrow afternoon after he contests the Concept Hurdle at Sandown.

Although owner Terry Warner has not ruled out retirement if the 11-year-old puts in a good performance in the extended two-mile race, he has no wish to see the horse go into decline.

The winner of the 2003 Champion Hurdle has only won once since his big day at Cheltenham, but has been placed a number of times, including when second to Harchibald in this season´s Christmas Hurdle.

'He´s fine, but he´s 11 and you can never be very confident about an 11-year-old,' said Warner.

'The track and the ground will suit, although he is getting nearer to retirement.

'We will decide tomorrow, but if he ran really badly there is a good chance he could be retired, but whichever way he runs, we won´t keep him going to disgrace him.

'He will tell us as soon as he is ready to retire, as he owes us nothing and will have a good home.'

The popular grey finished fifth to Al Eile in the Aintree Hurdle on his latest start, and Warner admits that age is slowly beginning to catch up with him.

'I can tell you that he has not lost any of his enthusiasm, and at Aintree, Richard Johnson said it was really just a question of youth versus age,' Warner continued.

'I actually think he might run well tomorrow as conditions should suit, I just would not want to see him finish fifth or sixth.'

Rooster Booster has won eight of his 42 career starts for trainers Richard Mitchell and Philip Hobbs, including wins in the Bula and County Hurdles.

Tomorrow´s £50,000 contest will see him clash again with the Patrick Chamings-trained Self Defense and from two meetings in the Agfa Hurdle, the score is one apiece.

Apart from Steve Gollings´s Royal Shakespeare, who was a good second in last Saturday´s Scottish Champion Hurdle, the remaining six runners represent Martin Pipe and Paul Nicholls, who continue their battle for the trainers´ title.

Nicholls will be represented by Rigmarole and Perouse, while Pipe´s four-strong team is headed by facile Imperial Cup winner Medison, plus Ilnamar, Copeland and Tamarinbleu.

? PA Sport