Webber favouring Lingfield option for Indefatigable return

Keith Hamer
October 26, 2020 4:45 pm

Cheltenham winner set for Flat reappearance.

Indefatigable is likely to return to action on the Flat ahead of a jumps campaign, for which the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham is the ultimate objective.

Trainer Paul Webber is set declare the seven-year-old for the Ladbrokes Football Acca Booster EBF River Eden Fillies’ Stakes, a Listed contest over one mile and five furlongs on the Polytrack.

She also holds an entry in the bet365 Hurdle at Wetherby on Saturday, but Webber fears the ground will be too soft for Indefatigable on what would be her first try at three miles.

The mare is already a dual Listed winner over the smaller obstacles and claimed the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle at last season’s Festival over an extended two and a half miles.

She has yet to run on the Flat, although she did win a bumper at Southwell on her first start for Webber in April 2018 before she went hurdling.

“The thinking at the moment is we are worried about the forecast for Wetherby,” said the Banbury handler.

“I think we’ll probably go to Lingfield rather than go three miles for the first time on ground softer than is ideal for her.

“We’ll probably declare her for Lingfield and Jim Crowley has been booked to ride her.

“I think that’s what we’ll do because she certainly wants better ground. Her only disappointing run last year was at Sandown on heavy ground and I think we’ll try to avoid that for as long as we can.”

Webber had thought of giving Indefatigable her first taste of Flat racing at Royal Ascot, but had to scrap that plan as the mare was under the weather.

“We were going to run her in the Ascot Stakes, but she didn’t scope right before then, so she had a holiday and this is a suitable starting point,” he went on.

“The Stayers’ Hurdle will be the plan and she’ll be entered in the mares’ hurdle over two and a half as well. We’ll just have to see how things go, but she is better on better ground.

“I don’t want to pull her about first time out over further. There are some nice hurdle races coming up in three weeks’ time if she has a nice prep at Lingfield.”