Gola to be stepped up in class

Alan King`s promising hurdler Gola Supreme will step up in class at Warwick on Saturday, it was revealed today.

The seven-year-old will tackle Grade Two company in the Pertemps Leamington Novices` Hurdle having comfortably accounted for Ski Pass by nine lengths on his racecourse debut at Ascot over three miles in November.

'He goes to Warwick on Saturday. He`s in very good form,' the trainer said.

Saturday`s contest is over two miles and five furlongs but King wants to discover if his charge has the speed for that sort of trip.

He said: 'We`re bringing him back in distance but we just want to find out if the two and a half mile trip is an option for the rest of the season. It opens a lot more doors.

'He shows plenty of speed at home and I just want to get him out again.'

A chasing career is on the agenda for the Supreme Leader gelding, who graduated from the Northern Ireland point-to-point scene, but he will stay over the smaller obstacles this term.

King added: 'He`ll definitely stay hurdling this season and go chasing in the autumn.'

No plans have been made yet for King`s Gola Cher (another former Northern point-to-pointer), who lost his unbeaten record over fences when second to Silver Streak at Cheltenham last month.

'He`s had a nice break and has just come back into full work this week,' King said. 'He will run somewhere at the end of the month or beginning of February.

'He`ll have one or two runs before Cheltenham where I hope his target will be the Royal & SunAlliance -let`s hope he`s good enough.

'He`s done nothing wrong and is a horse who would actually benefit from some soft ground, he hasn`t had it this year yet. I`m very happy with him.'