Baker hoping to chart Pertemps path with Mullins recruit

Molly Hunter
February 21, 2023 9:57 am

Jon Snow pencilled in for Chepstow on Saturday, then Cheltenham.

Jon Snow is pencilled in for his British debut at Chepstow on Saturday, as he looks to book his slot at the Cheltenham Festival.

The French-bred gelding was previously run in the Susannah Ricci silks and trained by Willie Mullins, winning five times over hurdles and fences before changing hands last autumn.

George Baker is now the eight-year-old’s trainer after he topped ThoroughBid’s Autumn Sale at GBP 50,000 and is looking forward to running him for the first time for new connections at the weekend.

Entered in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle at Chepstow, the horse’s performance will determine which race he lines up for when the Festival gets under way at Cheltenham in March.

“All being well, Jon Snow’s entered up at Chepstow in the Pertemps qualifier on Saturday,” said Baker.

Two runners for @WillieMullinsNH – JON SNOW & SHARJAH.

Jon Snow is absolutely beautiful 😍😍 Last time I photographed Sharjah he was 5th behind Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown✈️ pic.twitter.com/wUgNrWB6Xu
— Emma O’Brien (@EmmaOBrien2204) June 28, 2020

“If he finishes in the first four on Saturday and he qualifies for the Pertemps, he’ll go there.

“That’s over the extended trip, the three-mile trip, which I think would suit him.

“If he doesn’t finish in the first four on Saturday then we have the option of the Coral Cup, he will probably run in one or the other of those two – those are my thoughts are the moment.

“Let’s hope he gets through Saturday in good form, we’re pretty excited to get him out on the track.”

Jon Snow is partly owned by Paul Bowden, the same man also involved in the ownership of Flat campaigner Lucander – a horse likely headed for the Winter Derby at Lingfield after a successful bout in the desert of Bahrain.

A good night for the Willie Mullins team as the useful Jon Snow justifies short odds under @PTownend at @Galway_Races #GalwayRacesatHome
Results & free replays ➡ https://t.co/GI57hUtDeF pic.twitter.com/uVePsf04w7
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 30, 2020

Few owners can say they have switched their attentions from the Bahrain Flat scene to the Cheltenham Festival in the space of a month, but Baker’s wide-lens approach has paid dividends for connections so far.

He said: “It’s brilliant really, Paul Bowden has been a fantastic supporter of ours.

“You’ve got to make this game fun for the owners and if that means searching for opportunities on foreign shores then that’s great, and it’s also fantastic to be involved in the bigger races back home.”