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| Hopes burn bright for Chester Cup favourite Countrywide
Flame |
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The ultra-competitive
two-and-a-quarter-mile Chester Cup is one of the big highlights of the
forthcoming Chester May meeting and could present this term’s Champion
Hurdle third Countrywide Flame with a live opportunity to add another big prize
to his career haul.
The smart dual-purpose performer, trained by
John Quinn in North Yorkshire, ran a blinder when beat just over four lengths
in the blue riband hurdle contest behind the superb Hurricane Fly at Cheltenham
in March before failing to strike a blow at the smart Zarkandar at Aintree a
few weeks later.
Given a month to freshen up, there are good reasons
for believing that the
current
7/1 ante-post favourite for the historic Chester Cup Handicap will go well
back on the level, having found only one too good for him at Newmarket in
October when runner-up to Aaim to Prosper in the 34-runner Cesarewitch
Handicap, beaten only half-a-length, the pair finishing clear.
Set
to race off a 4lb higher mark than at HQ, the five-year-old faces no easy task
but does appear to be on the upgrade on the Flat and looks sure to give
connections a very good run for their money. The gelded son of Haafhd has
already shown that he can handle the unique challenge of the Roodeye having won
over two miles at the track last September on his only previous visit to the
former Roman chariot circuit, beating Ardlui by
three-quarters-of-a-length.
The Donald McCain-trained Overturn (10/1
with bet365) has top
weight of 9st 12lbs, but the 2011 winner and last year’s runner-up to Ile
De Re (8/1) – also expected to be in a tremendous line-up – appears
as good as ever after another cracking NH run when second in Grade 1 company at
Aintree in the John Smith’s Magull Novices’
Chase.
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