Warpath To March On Cheltenham

The Evan Williams-trained Warpath is primed for an assault on the #20,000 Jewson Handicap Hurdle Final over an extended two miles on day two of Cheltenham´s first meeting of the season which takes place on Tuesday, October 24 and Wednesday, October 25.

The Welsh trainer revealed today: 'The plan is to let Warpath take his chance in the Jewson Handicap Hurdle Final - touch wood. That´s where we´d like to head with him.'

The five-year-old gelding has won both his starts for Williams since arriving from Ireland in the summer and landed the Jewson Novices´ Hurdle (Series Qualifier) at Fontwell on August 24, before making all to score by a length and a quarter from Smoke Trail in a two mile, one furlong handicap hurdle at Exeter on October 4.

Evans reported: 'I´m glad that we managed to get another race into him after he won his Jewson qualifier. He´s a big young horse and the experience will have done him good last time because he had to knuckle down, put his head down and race a little bit.

'A nice bit of rain right now would help the job considerably and a stiff track like Cheltenham should be right up his street.'

Williams has made a great start to the 2006/2007 Jump season, sending out 33 winners so far. Eight-year-old Demi Beau, winner of a Cheltenham handicap hurdle in 2003 and a Ludlow handicap chase last season, is also likely to run at Cheltenham shortly.

'Demi Beau is another horse I might send to one of the first two Cheltenham meetings. He ran reasonably well in the Jewson Novices´ Handicap Chase over two miles, five furlongs at The Festival in March and he could be the type of horse for one of those two-mile chases.'

Another Williams-trained horse that may be heading to Cheltenham is Enlightenment, who won a two-mile maiden hurdle by nine lengths at Worcester on October 5. That was the six-year-old´s first start since arriving from Dessie Hughes´ yard in the summer.

Williams said: 'Enlightenment won well for us at Worcester last week and could now run at The Open, or perhaps even the first Cheltenham meeting.'

Cheltenham Racecourse, the home of Jump racing, opens its doors to another season of fantastic sport with day one of the October Meeting dedicated as Martin Pipe Day in honour of the recently retired 15-times champion Jump trainer.

The two-day curtain-raiser invariably whets the appetite for the three-day Open, which commences on Friday, November 10, and features the #110,000 Grade Three Paddy Power Gold Cup on Saturday, November 11.

Both days of the October Meeting offer excellent six-race cards with the day one highlight being the #17,500 The 4182 Winners In 32 Years Winning Post Handicap Chase over two miles, four and a half furlongs. The race is often a pointer to the Paddy Power Gold Cup, with The Outback Way (1999) and Shooting Light (2001) capturing both contests in recent seasons.

Naunton handler Nigel Twiston-Davies always has plenty of runners at his local course and is a trainer to note at Cheltenham´s opening fixture, where he saddled Ollie Magern to victory two years running in the 2003 The Hit Parade Started It All Waterlaw Novices´ Hurdle and the 2004 Ian Williams´ Owners Novices´ Chase.

Twiston-Davies commented: 'It´s very early to make any definite plans but I would hope to have runners at the first meeting and at The Open. I´m very hopeful of another good season at Cheltenham.'

The Gloucestershire handler has enjoyed 19 winners already this campaign, with the Raymond Mould-owned Knowhere contributing a pair of extended two and a half mile novice chases at Bangor (October 7) and Perth (September 21).

Knowhere could be in action at Cheltenham this autumn alongside Battle Cry, the impressive winner of a Worcester bumper on October 5, and Mahogany Blaze, who captured a Chepstow handicap hurdle over two miles and half a furlong two days later.

Twiston-Davies revealed: 'Mahogany Blaze won nicely at Chepstow and may run at Cheltenham´s first meeting. Knowhere could run at The Open, as could Battle Cry, who pleased us with his Worcester win and may head for the Open Bumper (Sunday, November 12).'