Epatante© Photo Healy Racing
Nico de Boinville is confident Epatante can make the most of what appears a gilt-edged opportunity in the Sky Bet Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle at Doncaster on Saturday.
Nicky Henderson’s stable jockey has actually only ridden the yard’s star mare once before — steering her to victory in the 2021 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.
Aidan Coleman has been ever present in the saddle since then, but as he is at Cheltenham to partner veteran stayer Paisley Park in the Cleeve Hurdle, De Boinville again gets the call on Town Moor.
Epatante has won six times at Grade One level in all, with two Christmas Hurdles, two Fighting Fifths, an Aintree Hurdle and a Champion Hurdle featuring on her CV.
The JP McManus-owned nine-year-old has proved no match for fellow Seven Barrows inmate Constitution Hill in either the Fighting Fifth or the Christmas Hurdle so far this season, but with her esteemed stable companion not in opposition this weekend, she should take all the beating.
“She doesn’t have a certain Constitution Hill to contend with here, so you have to be more than hopeful she can get back to winning ways,” De Boinville said in his Unibet blog.
“We all know her Grade One class and the scary thing is that she probably hasn’t been that far off her very best when chasing home her stablemate at Newcastle and Kempton this season.
“This is clearly a significant drop in grade for her, for all she carries a 6lb penalty.”
The biggest threat to Epatante appears to be Lucy Wadham’s admirable mare Martello Sky.
The grey has found one too good in each of her three previous outings this season, most recently chasing home Love Envoi at Sandown, and is fitted with cheek pieces for the first time on Saturday.
Wadham said: “Epatante has won six Grade Ones and is only giving us 2lb, so obviously it’s going to be to be pretty tough and we’re probably playing for second place.
“As always she’ll be doing her best, she’s ready to run and we’ll give it a go, but we’re not expecting to beat the favourite that’s for sure.
“She’s coming back to two miles and, funnily enough, all her sisters wore some sort of headgear. She’s certainly not ungenuine, but I think she will need to be sharper on Saturday, so hopefully the cheek pieces will help.”
The first of three Grade Twos on the card is the MND Association Race For Research Lightning Novices’ Chase, in which Harry Fry’s Boothill bids to follow up victory in the Wayward Lad at Kempton.
The highest-rated horse in the field, though, is Ann Hamilton’s stable star Tommy’s Oscar, who won on his chasing debut at Carlisle in the autumn and has since finished second twice over fences.
The eight-year-old is significantly better off at the weights with Donald McCain’s Since Day One, who is again in opposition having beaten him in a novice handicap at Newcastle last month, but connections are more hopeful than confident about his chances this weekend.
“At the weights you’d say he’s got to win it, but I don’t know,” said owner Ian Hamilton.
“He was obviously well beaten in the Fighting Fifth and then he was giving a stone and a half to Donald’s horse last time,” said owner Ian Hamilton..
“Our horses aren’t quite firing, so I wouldn’t have £1,000 on him anyway. But it will be better ground at Doncaster which will help. Hopefully he can do it.”
Stay Away Fay is the likely favourite for the Albert Bartlett River Don Novices’ Hurdle.
A £305,000 purchase after winning a point-to-point, the Shantou gelding made a successful debut for Paul Nicholls in a two-and-a-half-mile novice hurdle at Newbury in November and is immediately stepped up to three miles.
Nicholls told Betfair: “He’s an interesting prospect who did well over the summer before winning in pleasing fashion at Newbury on his debut for us over hurdles two months ago.
“He is a lot sharper now, stays well, wants good ground and I’ve had this race in mind for him since Newbury.”
McCain’s Maximilian steps back up in distance after suffering his first defeat in five starts in the Winter Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown last month, while Grand Soir has won his last three races for Irish trainer John McConnell.
Idalko Bihoue, another expensive purchase from the Irish point field, is also worthy of consideration after finishing a creditable third in the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury on New Year’s Eve.
“It was a very good run in the Challow. He’s going up in distance a little bit and I’d hope he’ll run really well,” trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies told Sky Sports Racing.
“We were looking for three miles, there are very few three-mile races around and it’s good prize-money.
“He’s definitely a stayer.”
