Strong Northern challenge in Charlie Hall

Sue Smith revealed today that she is likely to run both Royal Emperor and Artic Jack in Saturday´s £70,000 Grade Two bet365 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby.

The Yorkshire trainer said: 'At the moment it looks like Royal Emperor and Artic Jack will both run in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase.

'Both horses have done well over the summer and I´m very pleased with them - both are in grand order. They are in fine form - it´s one of those things where because of their ratings it is not the easiest thing to find different races for them and unfortunately [but fortunately for Wetherby racegoers] we have had to put them together.'

Royal Emperor won the equivalent of the Propencity Towton Novices´ Chase at Wetherby in February, staying on strongly to beat Native Emperor by 20 lengths, before finishing runner-up to Rule Supreme in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. The previous year he was a short-head runner-up to Inching Closer in the Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Artic Jack won two events at Haydock last season including the Peter Marsh Chase in January, when getting the better of Kingscliff by 13 lengths.

'Royal Emperor seems to particularly like running around Wetherby [he also won a handicap hurdle there in 2002] but then he´s been a very easy horse so far to train - he´s also won around Carlisle and Kelso and also he´s done everything bar win around Cheltenham. I think he´s a smashing horse to train and he tries his best wherever he goes really,' she enthused.

'It would be lovely as a Yorkshire trainer to win the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase. If you are lucky enough to win it, it´s nice to have a big race under your belt.'

Sue Johnson, wife of trainer Howard, has also revealed that Scottish Grand National hero Grey Abbey is likely to make his seasonal debut in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase.

'I´m sure that Grey Abbey is going to run in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase but obviously the ground will have to be suitable - we want quite a lot of rain as he likes soft going,' she said.

The 10-year-old was last seen in action when winning April´s Scottish Grand National at Ayr by a distance from Kerry Lads, having also been successful in Doncaster´s Grimthorpe Chase the previous month, when proving 10 lengths too powerful for Royal Auclair.

Grey Abbey´s success at Ayr was no surprise to his yard despite being a 12/1 chance in the betting market.

'Didn´t he really come good at the end of last season?' laughed Johnson. 'We ran him a couple of times over hurdles so we thought we would run him at Doncaster over fences and he won there. The Scottish Grand National was always our aim if we could get him right - and he just went from strength to strength.'

Johnson reports Grey Abbey in good form, although she feels he may have benefitted from a previous outing this term.

'Grey Abbey has done very well indeed over the summer - he looks very good,' she enthused.

'This is his first race of the year and we would have liked to have got another prep race into him earlier on but there´s been nothing for him so that hasn´t been the case.'

Tim Betteridge, Wetherby´s Chief Executive, reported the current going unchanged at Wetherby and remains: 'Good to Soft,' this afternoon.

The sponsor, bet365, bets: 5/2fav Lord Sam, 3 Sir Rembrandt, 9/2 Royal Emperor, 6 Grey Abbey, 7 Marlborough, 14 Turgeonev, Artic Jack, 20 Knife Edge, 33 Amberleigh House, Ballycassidy