Hobson mulling Cheltenham and Lingfield choices for Fugitif

PA Sport Reporters
January 4, 2024 2:38 pm

December Gold Cup winner has likely Ryanair goal.

Fugitif has two options before a likely crack at the Ryanair Trophy in March.

Trainer Richard Hobson is weighing up whether to send him to Cheltenham on January 27 for Trials Day, or run a week earlier in Lingfield’s Fleur de Lys Chase.

Fourth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November, he finally broke Hobson’s duck at the track in the December Gold Cup.

It was perhaps fitting Fugitif was the one to give Hobson his first winner at Cheltenham given he has run so many good races there, including when second to Seddon in the Plate at last year’s Festival.

“He did his first couple of swinging canters the other day since winning at Cheltenham. He had a week off after that win but he is extremely well,” said Hobson.

Winning connections of Fugitif after the December Gold Cup (Nigel French/PA)

“He will aim for either the extended two-and-a-half-mile Premier Handicap at Cheltenham on Trials Day (Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase) or the Fleur de Lys Chase at Lingfield.

“I had no intention of running him at the Christmas meeting at Cheltenham as we always felt he needed time between his races, but he came out of the Paddy Power Gold Cup so well and he was showing all the right signs that we decided to give the December Gold Cup a go.

“When I got my trainer’s licence, there were three things I said to my wife that I wanted to do. I wanted to train a big winner at Auteuil’s festival, train a big winner at Aintree, which we did with Dame Rose, and to train a winner at Cheltenham and that one took a bit longer than we liked, what with all the seconds we had before Fugitif won.

“We had so many hard luck stories at Cheltenham, it was nice to finally see one get their head in front.

“He is in the Ryanair and that is likely to be his main target for the season. He will be put in the Plate as well, but carrying big weights in those handicaps is a hard thing to do. If he was to place in the Ryanair, it would be a great result.”