Cleeve Target For Shaken Drever

Inglis Drever was reported 'a bit sore of his shoulder' following his fall in the totesport Long Walk Hurdle at Chepstow on Tuesday.

If he has recovered in time trainer Howard Johnson hopes to run the six-year-old in the Byrne Bros Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham at the end of next month before he defends his stayers´ crown at the Festival in March.

Graham Wylie´s gelding had travelled to Windsor from Johnson´s County Durham base earlier this month for the Long Walk only for the meeting to be abandoned and the Grade One contest rescheduled for the Welsh track.

But another long journey proved a trip too far for Inglis Drever as the 2-5 favourite struggled to keep up with the leaders before coming to grief at the second-last flight, giving Graham Lee a heavy fall.

'It´s just been a bit too much clashing with this horse this last month. He´s had too much travelling and he was never going yesterday,' Johnson said.

'Graham thought turning for home he was just starting to pick up - this horse can just sprout wings.

'He was never going down the back and turning for home Graham said all of a sudden he changed gear then he floundered in some bad ground.

'At the hurdle he just stood too far off it. On good ground he would have got there but on that ground he couldn´t get out of it.

'He was a bit sore of his shoulder, a bit shaken up because it was his first fall.

'We´ll get him freshened up for the end of January for the Cleeve Hurdle and then that will be it before Cheltenham. We´ll see how he runs there but if he´s not right he won´t run.'

Due to the poor weather Inglis Drever and Johnson´s two other Chepstow runners stopped over at Wolverhampton last night before completing their journey later today.

Lee said he was 'OK' after the fall and would have been fit enough to ride at Catterick this afternoon had the meeting beaten the weather.

Inglis Drever is 7-2 with the sponsors to repeat his victory in last season´s Ladbrokes World Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

? PA Sport