Top Dog gunning for Champion Bumper honours

‘I think he is a massive price, put it that way’.

Though Paisley Park is the yard’s biggest Cheltenham Festival hope in the Stayers’ Hurdle, Emma Lavelle feels Top Dog and Hang In There could be live outsiders in their respective races.

Top Dog, who won a deep bumper at Newbury last time, is a 25-1 shot with Coral for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

The five-year-old, owned by Nick Mustoe, has had plenty of bumper experience and ran some good races in defeat before scoring at Newbury last month.

However, he is something of a quirky character and can drift left-handed, as he showed when beating the well-regarded Rosy Redrum last time.

“Top Dog has been confirmed for the Bumper and he is in great order,” said Lavelle. “He is a proper little fighter and has had loads of experience.

“His run the other day at Newbury was good. We know he has that little quirk that sends him left-handed, but at least at Cheltenham it is not the worst direction to be heading in.

“He will have a rail all the way up there at Cheltenham, whereas at Newbury, Tom Bellamy thought he was going to be schooling him over the open ditch!

“He has been there and he really should have won at Cheltenham in October, then threw it away a little bit by going left. At least we know he handles it.

“I think he is a massive price, put it that way.”

Joe Anderson will ride Hang In There in the Coral Cup, with the youngster able to claim on the consistent hurdler, who has won twice at Stratford this season and finished runner-up on two other occasions.

Lavelle is hoping conditions remain dry for the Tim Syder and Andrew Gemmell-owned eight-year-old, considered a 33-1 chance by the sponsors.

She said: “I have confirmed Hang In There for the Coral Cup. He is in the County Hurdle as well, but he is a bit ground dependent.

“If it stays dry, it will suit him. There could be a bit of improvement in him in the Coral Cup.

“Off 148, you are at the top end, so Joe, who has done well with him all summer, will claim off him and we’ll see how we go. He is fresh and well.”

She added: “It is very hard to win at Cheltenham, but you really can’t win unless you are running something there. I think you have to go there with the right horses, but if you don’t have a crack at it, you have no chance of winning.”

De Rasher Counter is in sparkling form ahead of his Grand National tilt
De Rasher Counter is in sparkling form ahead of his Grand National tilt (Nigel French/PA)

Lavelle is also looking ahead to Aintree and reports De Rasher Counter in sparkling form ahead of his tilt at the Randox Grand National next month.

The lightly-raced 10-year-old has been beset by niggling injuries and was sidelined for 489 days before finishing fourth to Ryanair Chase contender Eldorado Allen in the Grade Two Denman Chase at Newbury last month.

As a seven-year-old, De Rasher Counter won the valuable Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase at Newbury and has just had four subsequent runs since that success.

While he may be considered a dark horse for the National at a general 50-1, Lavelle feels bookmakers may also have underestimated him, along with her Cheltenham outsiders.

The Ogbourne Maizey handler confirmed he is still firmly is on course for the marathon test at the Liverpool track on April 9.

She said: “We took him off for a racecourse gallop and school to one of the point-to-point tracks earlier this week and he covered about two and a half miles, jumping eight fences on the way round, and we couldn’t pull him up at the end of it!

“He is in sparkling form and very much on target for the National as things stand.”

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