Sea Sessions heads the field for the Sky Bet Filles' Juvenile Hurdle at Doncaster on Friday (2.25), live on Sky Sports Racing; Ross O'Sullivan's four-year-old won a Listed prize at Aintree last month and could aim for the Boodles at the Cheltenham Festival
Tuesday 25 January 2022 12:09, UK
Sea Sessions will bid to follow-up on her Aintree success when returning to Britain for the Listed Sky Bet Fillies' Juvenile Hurdle at Doncaster on Friday.
Ross O'Sullivan's filly has already proved herself at this level with victory on Merseyside last month, having filled the runners-up spot on her first two starts over hurdles.
The team have earmarked this week's contest as the perfect stepping stone to a potential shot at the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Jockey Jonathan Burke, who rode Sea Sessions at Aintree, misses Doncaster through suspension, but O'Sullivan has called on the services of leading rider Brian Hughes.
Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, O'Sullivan said: "The plan has been to miss Christmas on purpose and after Aintree we set out a couple of options to go for.
"This is a fillies only juvenile hurdle and there's only eight entries for it.
"We're happy with her and her work has been good, she's done everything right in the last couple of weeks.
"We'd love to end up at Cheltenham for the Fred Winter (Boodles), but we're not guaranteed to get in to it yet. We would have got in last year but that was different with Covid and maybe owners weren't as keen to go.
"We're going to Doncaster and looking forward to it. It's a nice track, left-handed, flat and long straight which should suit.
"Ideally we'd like a bit more rain but it doesn't seem to be coming. It was very soft at Aintree which suited us really well. She's versatile enough with ground though, so we should be okay."
Sea Sessions is unlikely to be the only Irish raider at Doncaster, with Gavin Cromwell's White Pepper and the Joseph O'Brien-trained Six Feet Apart - third and fourth at Aintree, respectively - among the potential opposition.
Asked if he expects White Pepper to run, O'Sullivan said: "I haven't heard any different. It's a Listed race so I'd say they'd be keen to get a bit of black-type.
"We did beat her at Aintree but she's not a bad filly. I would be very worried about her. She was very good before Aintree so maybe she just didn't fire there.
"She was very good at Fairyhouse two weeks ago. Joseph [O'Brien] has the same filly that we beat at Aintree as well."
