Weight the key for Attrition

Ladbrokes World Hurdle may be next target

Last updated: 7th February 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

World Hurdle. Click here to bet.

War Of Attrition

War Of Attrition: Gold Cup winner

Related links

Also see

Profiles

Connections will wait to see what weight War Of Attrition is asked to carry in the John Smith's Grand National before deciding on his big-race target.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner has found a new lease of life since reverting to hurdles, but owner Michael O'Leary has an eye on the Aintree Blue Riband.

However, if the handicapper assigns the veteran a hefty National burden, Mouse Morris' charge is likely to go for the Ladbrokes World Hurdle.

"We were delighted with him last time," said O'Leary. "He hadn't run well over fences for about two years. It's very hard for him in Ireland because he wants good ground and he just doesn't jump out of soft that well any more.

"Mouse said 'let's go back over hurdles' and he loved it at Christmas and ran very well at Gowran.

"We'll send him off to the Boyne Hurdle at Navan next and after that we'll see what the weights are like in the National.

"If he gets a ridiculously high weight in the National, we'll probably take him to Cheltenham for the World Hurdle. If he gets a reasonable weight, we'll maybe put him away and wait for Aintree so we'll see what the handicapper does," he told At The Races.