Iris´s Given Newbury Target Iris´s Gift is to make his next racecourse appearance at Newbury a week on Friday. Connections had initially considered the grey for the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup on November 26 but ruled it out in favour of remaining in novice company a day earlier. Jonjo O´Neill´s eight-year-old will instead contest the Grade Two Unicoin Homes (registered as Worcester) Novices´ Chase. Owner Robert Lester told the Racing Post: 'He´ll go for the three-mile novice chase at Newbury next Friday. 'Although I haven´t seen him since Cheltenham, Jonjo tells me he is in great form and the horses are running well now. They have turned the corner and we can hopefully put last year´s problems behind us.' Iris´s Gift has won all his three starts this season, picking up novice chases at Bangor, Market Rasen and Cheltenham. He is likely to remain in the sphere for the moment and Lester added: 'We´ll see how he comes out of his next race before making any plans for him but I´d imagine we´ll stick to novice company until the new year.' ? PA Sport
