Hillcrest will return from a long absence at Haydock on Saturday © Photo Healy Racing
Hillcrest will restart his career following 981 days off the track in the Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase at Haydock on Saturday.
Henry Daly’s towering son of Stowaway excelled over hurdles during the 2021-22 season, beating subsequent Grand National hero I Am Maximus at Cheltenham and also romping to victory in a Haydock Grade Two during a campaign that yielded four wins from six starts.
He was pulled-up when favourite for that season’s Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, but given his stature, he was always seen as a top chasing prospect.
That Cheltenham Festival appearance was the last time the nine-year-old has been sighted on a racecourse, missing the last two seasons through injury.
However, his handler is eager to begin his long-awaited chasing career, with fingers crossed for a clear run for the talented but somewhat fragile gelding.
“We’re very happy with him. We’ve entered him a few times and all we’re trying to run him on is nice, safe ground – which is obvious having had a couple of issues,” said Daly.
“He’s a very big horse and we want him to run on safe ground. As long as he runs a nice race and on Sunday morning we can come in and feel his legs and all is OK, that would be a very satisfactory start.
“We would like him to jump well, enjoy himself and show all the things you would like to see in any racehorse, never mind one who has had nearly two years off. If he does all these things, I’m sure he will run well.”
He added: “Haydock is the plan, but we have declared him for Sunday (at Uttoxeter) in case Saturday doesn’t work or for high winds or whatever else. The forecast is for a very windy day and we just want to get going.”
Hillcrest faces a far from easy chasing introduction, with Kim Bailey’s Trelawne, Paul Nicholls’ Grade One-winning hurdler Tahmuras and Dan Skelton’s Deafening Silence amongst the opposition.
However, the likely favourite is Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Iroko, a Cheltenham Festival winner over timber who ended his novice chase season in Grade One company. He now makes his return with connections plotting a course to the Grand National in the spring.
Guerriero said: “I think everyone has been in the same boat and waiting on the ground, but there is plenty of rain around on Saturday, it should be lovely ground there and we can’t wait to see him back on track.
“It’s not a bad little race, but there are not so many runners, so it is not as competitive as some races could be. Hopefully he has a nice time and we were keen not to go and win a handicap and go up too much, as we’re trying to look after his mark for the National.
“The nice thing is he could go and win on Saturday and not go up. Aintree in the spring is the aim and he has the class for that race you need nowadays.”
Skelton holds a strong hand in the Betfair Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle, with Doyen Quest looking to quickly back-up last weekend’s impressive Cheltenham victory under a penalty and joined in the race by progressive stablemates Catch Him Derry and Gwennie May Boy.
Ruth Jefferson’s emphatic River Don winner Kerryhill adds a touch of class to the contest, while Backmersackme is tasked with giving Emmet Mullins and owner Paul Byrne back-to-back victories in the valuable hurdling contest.
Mullins said: “He’s all good and he had a nice enough run the last day over hurdles at Worcester. The trip was short enough and hopefully up to three miles, we should see a bit more.
“We’ve always thought three miles was his distance and he’s a point-to-point winner who stays well. I think this will be more to his liking.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think we’re going with as strong a chance as Slate Lane last year, but fingers crossed his handicap mark might be alright and he can give a good account of himself.”
Stuart Crawford saddles the hat-trick seeking Lily Du Berlais in the Betfair Supports Safer Gambling Week Newton Novices’ Hurdle.
A Grade Two bumper winner, her experience could come into play in a race stacked with exciting novice prospects before she switches her attention to the larger obstacles.
Crawford explained: “It’s going to be her first start and we were aiming for Down Royal and she just wasn’t quite ready. We decided to wait and this looked a nice enough race to aim for.
“She will probably go over fences with a bit of luck after this and she’s only a novice till the end of this month, so that’s why we were keen to have a go at this race.
“If we could get a Grade Two under her belt, it would be great. It’s a good race but hopefully she can go well.”
Crawford also runs Park Annonciade, who bids for a repeat in the Betfair Racing Podcasts Handicap Hurdle.
He added: “He won this race last year and we were going over fences with him this season, but he had a fall at Ayr earlier this month.
“This race has come just at the right time and we thought we’d give him a confidence booster over hurdles and he gets in off a low weight. He won it last year, so hopefully can go close again.”
