Point Barrow for Haydock Haydock stages its richest handicap chase of the season, the #125,000 Grade Three Red Square Vodka Gold Cup, on Saturday and Point Barrow and King Johns Castle are among the 24 five-day acceptors for the three and a half miles feature. County Carlow-based trainer Pat Hughes is hoping for a good performance from Point Barrow in Saturday?s feature race. The 10-year-old gelding was a gallant fourth in the Thyestes Chase at Gowran Park last month, despite being burdened with top weight in testing conditions. "Point Barrow will line up in the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup. He?s come out of his run in the Thyestes Chase really well and he showed some real ability under top weight on that occasion´ said Hughes. "He?ll love good to soft ground on Saturday. He always runs a decent race on faster ground in the spring but I think he?s slightly better with a bit of cut under him. He sported blinkers for the first time at Gowran Park and they seemed to help him lay up early on in the race, so he will be wearing them again on Saturday. "This will be his last run before going to Aintree for the John Smith?s Grand National in April. He?s fit, well and has always been a horse for the second half of the season, so I?m hopeful for a good show on Saturday." Point Barrow, winner of the 2006 Irish Grand National, is bidding to become the second Irish-trained winner of the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup following Pat Fahy?s victory with Nuaffe in 1995.
