Truckers earns trip to Ireland

Exciting prospect Truckers Tavern booked a trip to Ireland by winning at Newcastle yesterday.

The gelding is rated 'a Gold Cup horse in the making' by English-based trainer Ferdy Murphy.

And the 2-5 favourite lived up to his billing by proving the star turn on a low-key card, making all and overcoming a couple of sloppy jumps to land the St Modwen Properties Novices` Chase by two lengths from Lord Sandrovitch under Adrian Maguire.

The victory came as a relief to Murphy whose Middleham stable has been in poor form

The seven-year-old was successful in three points-to-points in this country before his switch across the water. He had won a hurdle race and a novice chase before his victory at Newcastle.

'Our horses missed quite a bit of work and he has had a good blow,' the trainer said. 'We wanted to get some more racing into him.

'He will probably go now for the Moriarty Novices` Chase at Leopardstown on February 10th and he could go to Ayr first.

'He is a big, strong horse and he needs to learn a bit more and to respect fences a bit more.

'I have put him in the Arkle and the SunAlliance and if he keeps going on we`ll think about Cheltenham.

'But I am sure he is a Gold Cup horse in the making - he has got a right good engine.'