KILLYGLEN will return to Britain this weekend in the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster on Saturday en route to a possible tilt at the John Smith’s Grand National at Aintree.
The nine-year-old was a top-class novice chaser when with Howard John and was an impressive winner in the Grade Two matalan.co.uk Mildmay Novices Chase at Aintree in April 2009. A return to Liverpool for the National – or the Irish or Scottish Nationals – is on cards if Killyglen does well at Doncaster this weekend.
He has not won since moving to County Antrim trainer Stuart Crawford at the start of this season but has run well enough.
The Presenting gelding was fifth behind Kauto Star at Down Royal in between being placed twice over hurdles.
Crawford said: “All being well, we hope to run him on Saturday and hopefully they don’t get any frost.
“Hopefully the track will suit him well as he’s gone well there before when second in the Grimthorpe Chase and the decent ground he should get will suit him well.
“He’s had a few decent runs for us and it will be interesting to see what way he goes at the weekend, but we’re hoping going back over fences - good ground will be perfect for him.
“He could possibly be a horse for one of the Nationals in the spring, but I would say it all depends on how he goes this weekend. Hopefully, if everything goes well, we could be looking at something a bit bigger and better in the spring.
“Denis (O’Regan) will ride him this weekend, all being well. He obviously knows the horse well and as long as he’s available, he’ll ride.”
Meanwhile in the absence of Big Buck’s, owner Andy Stewart will be represented by Gwanako in Saturday’s Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Big Buck’s landed the Grade Two contest in 2009 before winning his first World Hurdle crown at the Festival.
He will miss the trial again and will head straight to the Prestbury Park showpiece in March to try and become the first horse in history to win the three successive World Hurdles.
In his absence Gwanako will run and Stewart said: “He’s going to run and we were quite happy with his run over hurdles last time. He seems to have lost his way over fences a little bit so we switched him back to hurdles at Cheltenham and he was fourth behind three David Pipe horses.
“He seems to have come out of the race very well, we don’t have Big Buck’s in the Cleeve this time, so we thought we’d have a go.”
TODAY’S NAP: Red Not Blue (3.45pm Huntingdon).
