Maxwell favouring Flyer for Foxhunter contest

Press Association Sport Staff
February 25, 2020 11:00 am

Owner weighing up Cheltenham Festival options.

David Maxwell expects to ride last year’s runner-up Shantou Flyer in the St James’s Place Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham.

The prominent owner and amateur jockey also has the option of teaming up with Bob And Co, a winner at Fontwell on Sunday, but he plans to keep that one back for Aintree.

Shantou Flyer, a 10-year-old, showed good form under Rules for Colin Bowe, Rebecca Curtis and Richard Hobson, but is now trained by Rose Loxton, for whom he has won a point-to-point and a hunter chase at Fakenham.

“I think he’s improved. If you had asked me before Fakenham whether I would go back to Cheltenham to take on Hazel Hill, I would have said ‘no chance’, but he felt like a different horse and jumped really well,” Maxwell told www.pointtopoint.co.uk.

“Rose is very good with these jaded older horses who have talent, and Rose gets it out of them.

“We are very lucky in point-to-pointing to have so many brilliant stock people, who really understand horses.”

Of Bob And Co, who Maxwell was forced to pull up at Warwick after getting cramp in his leg, he added: “He’s a nice horse, not the most straightforward ride, but I’m thinking of running him at Aintree rather than Cheltenham.

“I don’t think he wants three and a quarter miles and he jumps better off a stronger pace. The shorter trip at Aintree should suit him, and he’s been around Auteuil.

“If they can jump around Auteuil, which has a couple of small fences, and a couple of monsters, they can jump around anywhere. He’s a very good jumper and I just hope he doesn’t get over-bold.”