RICHARD HOBSON is hoping Dame Rose can handle conditions in Saturday’s Betfred Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury.
Hobson’s mare steps up in class and distance and Harry Skelton replaces the sidelined Richard Johnson in the saddle.
Hobson said: “The ground is going to be very testing. She’s a filly we feel handles testing ground, but whether the two and a half will be more like three miles we’ll have to wait and see.
“She’s in great order, there are only six runners and if you’re not in you can’t win.”
Fergal O’Brien’s Poetic Rhythm was not beaten far by the smart On The Blind Side in a Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle trial at Cheltenham last month.
O’Brien said: “The ground is the big question. We’re sure he’s good enough and it just depends on how he handles conditions on the day.
“He ran very well at Cheltenham and we feel he’ll want three miles in time, so the trip is fine. What will be will be.”
Jamie Snowden runs Dans Le Vent who made it third time lucky over hurdles at Market Rasen last time out.
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Snowden said: “He is in tremendous form. His bumper form was very good last season, and he has warmed to hurdling all the way through the course of the autumn.
“He was a good second to Slate House at Cheltenham, then he won at Market Rasen last time. He only ever does enough in his races.
“We were lucky enough to have a Cheltenham Festival winner a few years ago and it would be nice to get a Grade 1 winner now.”
Colin Tizzard runs Kilbricken Storm and is confident the trip will be right up his street.
He was last seen winning at Grade 2 level in an Albert Bartlett trial at Cheltenham a fortnight ago.
Tizzard said: “He might want further than this, but it’s two-mile-five in heavy ground, so I think it will be far enough.
“He’s a six-year-old turning seven. If he was a four-year-old we probably wouldn’t be running him two weeks after his last run, but he’s an older horse, he handles soft ground and it’s a good prize, so we said we’d let him have a crack at it.”
Ben Pauling’s Way Back Then and Warren Greatex’s Mulcahys Hill completes the field.
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