Restless Harry, third behind Silviniaco Cont in the Coral Hurdle at Ascot, is set to reappear at Cheltenham next Saturday.
Dickin thrilled with stable star
Restless Harry, third behind Silviniaco Cont in the Coral Hurdle at Ascot, is set to reappear at Cheltenham next Saturday.
Robin Dickin is targeting his stable star, already a dual winner at Prestbury Park, at the Unicoin Homes Relkeel Hurdle.
He reported: "Restless Harry is on course for the Unicoin Homes Relkeel Hurdle. We were very, very pleased with his run at Ascot and he is really well at the moment. We have a huge rubber outdoor school, which has frost covers, so the weather hasn't stopped us at all.
"We gave him an entry in the Long Walk at Ascot (December 18) just to keep our options open with regard to the weather. We will be stepping him up to three miles at some point this season, although it may not be until The Festival. I am not deliberately avoiding running him over that trip, but I don't think that it is necessary to keep running him over that far.
"I am hoping that the snow turns to rain and then it keeps raining because it's a case of the wetter the better for him. It's not really a question of him running better on softer ground - he goes the same as he does on faster going - but other horses don't seem to operate as well on very testing conditions."
World domination
A return to Cheltenham in March is very much the plan for Restless Harry.
"The Ladbrokes World Hurdle is highly likely to be his main aim this season and I wouldn't be scared of coming up against Big Buck's. There's a very good saying - never don't run because of one - and he ran such a big race against stiff opposition at Ascot that I feel fairly relaxed about taking on the best staying hurdlers this season," Dickin added.
