Itsonlyme On Target For Doncaster´s Sky Bet Chase

Owner Mel Davies revealed today that he will be represented by the Venetia Williams-trained Itsonlyme in the £60,000 Sky Bet Chase (3.25pm) on Saturday (January 29), Doncaster´s richest jump race of the year

The 12-year-old, who has been allocated 10st 8lb and is a 10/1 chance with the sponsor for this famous three-mile Listed handicap, bounced back to form in no uncertain terms on his latest start earlier this month over course and distance, staying on well to beat The Manse Brae by five lengths in the National Custom And Sports Car Show Handicap Chase. Itsonlyme had been pulled up on his previous four starts.

Davies said: 'I was ecstatic that Itsonlyme won as he´s one of my favourites because he´s a good horse when he´s right and he looks like a nice horse.

'He was favourite for the Badger Beer Chase at Wincanton a couple of years ago and he didn´t jump a fence - he was only a novicey type then but he´s won 11 races overall. 'He´s won at Wetherby and that´s quite a tough track, he´s won at Towcester and that´s tough enough uphill at the end and he´s won at Doncaster. He´s by Broken Hearted, who I think is a nice stallion.'

Davies is philosophical about Itsonlyme´s better effort . He continued: 'Venetia says that he´s come out of his last race at Doncaster alright. The stewards had her in after he won about his improved form yet 12 months before he was just touched off by Kelami in a £40,000 race at Kempton.

'Two outings before that he trotted up at Cheltenham. It´s not as if the horse hadn´t run a good race for 10 years - he´s a horse with form and obviously horses have setbacks and when they´re right, they´re right. It´s not rocket science - if a horse is a bit under the weather or there is something troubling it, then it runs bad. There´s nothing mischievous about it - I want to win all the time.'

Connections had considered retirement for Itsonlyme before the win last time out at 16/1 but Davies now has an ambitious future plan for Itsonlyme.

'If you get a horse that has pulled up four times, you think he´s got sick of racing and it would be kind to pack it in. Last time I said to Venetia, ´really if he doesn´t run a race today, we´ve got to retire him because he´s lost it altogether´,' explained the owner.

'He jumped well - he did get low at one or two but he looked good and, while it wasn´t the hottest of races, I think a rise of 8lb by the handicapper was a lot - I would have thought 6lb was right. If Venetia wins with a horse, they always punish her, don´t they?

'Perhaps we´ll run Itsonlyme in the Grand National later - I think he might jump around Aintree with a bit of luck. We´ll see what happens on Saturday.'

Paul Nicholls has four Sky Bet Chase entries including Colourful Life (10st 12lb), Ad Hoc (11st 12lb), Le Duc (11st 7lb) and Spring Margot (10st 7lb).

The Somerset-based trainer has already stated that the former will run if the ground stays fast, with Joe Tizzard in the saddle. Colourful Life was sixth last time in the John Hughes Rehearsal Chase on a soft surface at Chepstow on December 4, having won on his favoured good ground at Newton Abbot in November and at Bangor in October.

Tizzard commented: 'Colourful Life is in good order at home and should run a big race off his handicap mark.'

Clerk of the Course Jon Pullin today commented: 'Following six millimetres of rain over the last two days, I´ve changed the Doncaster going to good, good to firm in places.

'The majority of the ground is good and it is only around the paddock bend where it is a bit faster.

'There is the possibility of some light showers before Saturday and I would be very hopeful that we can at least maintain the current going.'

Sky Bet´s full betting on the Sky Bet Chase is as follows: Your A Gassman 7/2 (from opening 5), Baron Windrush 9/1 (from opening 8), Le Duc 10/1 (from opening 8), Itsonlyme 10/1, Tikram 12/1, Run For Paddy 12/1, The Kew Tour 12/1 (from opening 16), Fields Of Home 14/1 (from opening 12), Rosie Redman 14/1, Ad Hoc 16/1, Horus 16/1, Supreme Prince 16/1, Buckby Lane 16/1, Colourful Life 16/1, Spring Margot 16/1, Carryonharry 20/1, Little Big Horse 20/1, Artic Jack 25/1, Skippers Cleuch 25/1, Tipsy Mouse 25/1, Benrajah 25/1, Red Striker 33/1, Tacolino 40/1 (from opening 25/1).