Cheltenham and Ascot options for Blackjack Magic

Honeyball deliberating opportunities for Wincanton winner.

Anthony Honeyball could target a familiar race for the yard as he plots the next move for Badger Beer Chase winner Blackjack Magic.

The eight-year-old made his seasonal debut in the Wincanton contest, returning to action after winning twice from four runs last term.

Under Rex Dingle he was a 5-1 chance and ran a fluent race, gaining ground at every obstacle and pulling away to defeat Paul Nicholls’ Threeunderthrufive by three lengths.

Either Cheltenham or Ascot could be the scene of his next run, with Honeyball particularly keen on the Howden Silver Cup – a race twice won by his now-retired stable stalwart Regal Encore.

He said: “There are a few options running up to Christmas, we want to give him plenty of time after that run, so we’re looking at December 16 at Cheltenham.

“There’s a three-mile-two (furlong) GBP 100,000 handicap chase, I think it’s a new race actually.

“Probably the race I favour the most is the race Regal Encore won for us twice, which is on December 23 at Ascot and is another GBP 100,000 chase.

“I’m not sure how important it is for him to go right-handed but it is right-handed, Ascot takes a lot of jumping and his jumping seemed to be what was really winning him the race at Wincanton.

“He travelled well and jumped well and I think you’d have to do that around Ascot, especially when they start down at the three-mile start.

“It’s a race we’ve watched plenty of times with Regal Encore and we think it might suit him.

“It deserves a big field but from our point of view we hope it’ll cut up a bit and we can go there, we might have a look at Cheltenham along the way but the temptation would be to wait for Ascot on the 23rd.”

Honeyball will have to be a little more patient when it comes to the next outing for runaway bumper winner Crest Of Glory, who has sustained an injury that will see him miss the season.

The four-year-old made a highly impressive start to his life as a racehorse when winning the Goffs UK Spring Sale Bumper by 15 lengths at Newbury in March.

A tendon strain halted his progress as he was being prepared to make a seasonal debut, but the gelding is sound and will be given ample time to recover.

“He won’t be back until next season. He was all schooled up and we were making a decision as to whether to go for a Cheltenham Listed bumper or the maiden hurdle route, we were at a little bit of a crossroads with him and then he got a tendon strain,” Honeyball said.

Crest Of Glory winning the Goffs UK Spring Sale Bumper at Newbury
Crest Of Glory winning the Goffs UK Spring Sale Bumper at Newbury (Steven Paston/PA)

“He’s fine now, he’s a sound as a pound, he must be wondering why the hell he isn’t galloping but he’s still got a little bit of shape to his tendon.

“We’re doing everything we can to treat it and I’d say he’d be back cantering this time next year, he’ll be running in a maiden hurdle in December or January.

“We hope that he develops into an Albert Bartlett horse for the Festival, I don’t think that’s crazy talk. He annihilated them and he didn’t really come out of third gear.

“He’s a galloper and very much an Albert Bartlett-type horse, but this season he wouldn’t have been strong enough to do that. I’m not going to call it a blessing in disguise – it’s still very disappointing – but this season he was always going to be a boy and next season he will really be a man.

“We need to get it right, take it on the chin and give him all the time he needs.”

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