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Members of Old Gold Racing appear to have a trip to Cheltenham to get excited about with Apple Away – but connections are yet to agree on which race she will contest at the Festival following her Warwick second on Saturday.
Trained by Lucinda Russell, the Grade One-winning hurdler continued her education over fences when stepped up to Grade Two level for Warwick’s Hampton Novices’ Chase.
Although ultimately no match for an on-song Grey Dawning, Apple Away bravely plugged on once headed to finish a fair runner-up, leaving her team contemplating their next moves.
Russell is in agreement that Apple Away deserves to take her chance at Prestbury Park in the spring and is eyeing the three-mile Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, for which she is now as big as 33-1 with some bookmakers.
However, the trainer’s partner and assistant Peter Scudamore appears to have other ideas and is keen to consider stretching out to three-mile-six for the National Hunt Chase, or even racing in handicap company at the March showpiece.
“I think with hindsight, it is a very quick track at Warwick and, as Patrick Wadge said afterwards, maybe she needs a stiffer track and a step up in trip,” said Old Gold CEO Ed Seyfried.
“Lucinda said she could think of a track that is very testing and undulating and when I asked did that begin with ‘C’, she said yes.
“So, we are very much headed for Cheltenham and Lucinda is still very much headed for the Brown Advisory, whereas Peter Scudamore is headed for every other race at Cheltenham apart from the Brown Advisory.
“He is looking at the Ultima, Scu is also thinking about maybe the Mares’ Chase and even the three-mile-six amateur novice, so there will be massive discussions at Arlary and we will be told what is going to happen.”
Seyfried went on: “With a horse like Apple, you hope you have the best horse in the world, and she didn’t get found out, but she made a couple of rookie errors jumping and this track clearly suited Grey Dawning better.
“The track and going was too quick for her and we came up against a better horse on the day. We have met Grey Dawning three times and won the time he came down, so maybe he is super special?
“The plan was here, then Ascot, then Cheltenham – and given the going here won’t have taken too much out of her, it could be that they think ‘let’s have another race’.
“She will have learnt a lot (at Warwick) and those five fences come thick and fast – it’s a proper test.”
