Gifford is open to Haydock option for Dee Ee Williams

Jan 5 2009 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

NICK GIFFORD may head to Haydock Park for the Rossington Main Novices’ Hurdle a week on Saturday with Dee Ee Williams after the abandonment of Sandown on Saturday.

The six-year-old has not been out of the first three in five career starts and won three times. The gelding was due to run in the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown, and may again head to that if the British Horseracing Authority can reschedule the Grade One event.

If not Haydock would seem a viable option.

Gifford said: “There is no set-in-stone plan at all, but if they reschedule the Tolworth we will have to look at it. There is also the Rossington Main at Haydock in a couple of weeks’ time and that would be another option.”

Dee Ee Williams is heading for the Cheltenham Festival and the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, for which is he a best-priced 16-1 with BlueSquare and Victor Chandler.

Gifford added: “He is a horse who needs more experience, and he wouldn’t need an extended break before Cheltenham.

“He will tell me how many more runs he needs before the Festival, but he wouldn’t have more than two. We’ll run where we can go and I am very happy with him. His last run at Ascot was a very decent race and was ran in a good time.”

Henrietta Knight’s Somersby was another due to step up to Grade One level in the Tolworth. With the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle also on the agenda Knight is looking to get another run under his belt with Haydock also being looked at.

Knight’s bumper winner scored as he liked on his hurdling debut at Kempton in November and Knight said: “It is difficult to say what we will do as the weather looks like staying as it is for about another 10 days or so.

“We will try and find him a novice hurdle somewhere to give him more practice, and I am keen to keep him to two miles as he has quite a lot of speed.

“The Rossington Main at Haydock later this month is a possibility, and there is also a race at Newbury, but everyone’s hands are tied by the weather at the moment.

“One more run will be enough for him and he’ll then go to the Supreme, but he does look like a chaser and will go over fences next season.”

Knight is also eyeing Cheltenham and the Irish Independent Arkle Chase with impressive recent winner Calgary Bay.

The six-year-old won the Dipper Novices’ Chase over 2m4f at Prestbury Park on New Year’s Day at Cheltenham.

Haydock could also provide the stepping stone with the 2m4f JW Lees Novices’ Chase – a race My Way de Solzen took before his 2007 Arkle victory – a possible target.

Knight said: “He has come back very well and you wouldn’t even think he has had a race.

“He is a very powerful horse but I don’t want to do too much with him as he is big and still maturing.

“We still haven’t decided what to do with him and need to think about it. I am not particularly keen on bringing him back in distance for the Arkle but that is the way we are leaning.

“He needs one more outing before Cheltenham and could go to Haydock on the 17th.”