Rosses Pointed At Sky Bet Chase

Welsh trainer Evan Williams is hoping for some respite from the wintry conditions as he aims the progressive Rosses Point towards his prime target, the £60,000 Sky Bet Chase (2.20pm) at Southwell on Saturday, January 27.

Evans revealed this morning: 'Rosses Point is well and I would like to run him in the Sky Bet Chase because that's the race we've been looking towards since his last race. I hope the weather is kind to us!'

The eight-year-old, 7/1 joint-favourite with sponsor Sky Bet, has been a revelation this season and will bid for a hat-trick of handicap chase victories in the prestigious three mile, half a furlong contest, which will be shown live on Channel 4.

After closing his 2005/2006 campaign with victory in a three-mile handicap hurdle at Worcester, Rosses Point has captured a brace of three mile, one and a half furlong handicap chases at Wincanton and Ludlow and Williams believes the Roselier gelding is ready for his sternest test to date.

The Vale Of Glamorgan handler reported: 'He's a horse that has progressed more than we could ever have dreamt for really. He came in from his summer break so obviously better in himself.

'His breeding suggests that he will get better as time goes on but his whole attitude and physical appearance has just changed since the summer. His confidence is very high and it's a big step up in class but I do have this feeling that he's a very fast-improving horse.

'He's going to win a good race sometime. Whether it's Saturday, I don't know, but he's definitely the type of horse that's going to go and win a similar type of race to the Sky Bet Chase somewhere during his career, given a certain amount of luck.'

Williams has only the slightest of concerns about the possibility of testing ground at Southwell but believes that Rosses Point will banish any doubts.

He explained: 'I would be slightly concerned about heavy ground. Again, his breeding suggests that won't be a problem and I'd only be concerned because he's never raced on it, but that's the only reason.

'I'd be very disappointed indeed if he didn't handle ground like that. I'd always prefer him to be running in heavy ground with 10st 1lb on his back rather than with 12st or 11st 1lb on his back. This type of race looks tailor-made for him.

'He's a horse that has to be held up way off the pace and in that ground you'd like to think that they'd be stopping and coming back to us at some stage.

'The Sky Bet Chase has been his target and these things very rarely come off when you target a good race like that, but if it's not this Saturday, you'll definitely see Rosses Point winning a very big race one day, all being well.'

The Listed handicap has attracted a 23-strong entry and has a safety limit of 16. The Sky Bet Chase will be staged at the Nottinghamshire venue for the second consecutive season while its traditional Doncaster home undergoes redevelopment.

The Venetia Williams-trained Welsh National runner-up Mon Mome is the other joint-favourite at 7/1 with the Harrogate-based sponsor.

The classy Sky Bet Chase entry also includes the James Fanshawe-trained Reveillez and the Nicky Henderson-trained Copsale Lad, who filled the first two places in the Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last term, Grade Three Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase third New Alco, the David Pipe-trained It Takes Time and Whispered Secret, Iris Royal, Cloudy Lane, Ever Present and Mount Clerigo.

GOING

Southwell clerk of the course, Jon Pullin, is hopeful that racing will go ahead on Saturday despite a covering of snow at the Nottinghamshire track, saying: 'We have had three centimetres of snowfall over night and we'll see what happens during today.

'There are wintry showers forecast but hopefully no further snow. We are expecting freezing temperatures tonight but the situation does look like it will improve towards the end of the week into Friday.

'Things had improved yesterday with regard to the going but with the best part of three centimetres of snow to melt, that will put us back in terms of the drying process, so I still anticipate it being heavy, soft in places.'

LATEST PRICES FROM SKY BET

Mon Mome 7/1, Rosses Point 71, New Alco 8/1, Rambling Minster 8/1, Nozic 9/1, Cloudy Lane 10/1, Ever Present 10/1, Sharp Belline 12/1, Simon 12/1, Umbrella Man 12/1, Nadover 14/1, Reveillez 14/1, Copsale Lad 16/1, Ardaghey 18/1, Whispered Secret 18/1, Florida Dream 18/1, Iris Royal 18/1, Kasthari 18/1, Little Big Horse 20/1, Lady Of Scarvagh 20/1, Mount Clerigo 25/1, Herecomestanley 25/1, It Takes Time 25/1

Each Way terms: 1/4 of odds for 1st 4 places