Wetherby the focus for Sounds Russian

Improving chaser was not beaten far in Many Clouds Chase.

Ruth Jefferson’s Sounds Russian will take on Ahoy Senor again in the Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby on Boxing Day.

Both horses finished behind Grand National winner and Gold Cup hopeful Noble Yeats in the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree earlier this month, with third-placed Ahoy Senor just a length in front of Sounds Russian.

The latter showed plenty of progress last season, rattling up a three-timer before being touched off by Dusart in Ayr’s Novices’ Champion Handicap Chase in April.

The seven-year-old regained the winning thread upon his return at Kelso in October, before running with plenty of credit at Aintree more recently.

Jefferson said: “He never got beat far. He got out-paced two out and then stayed on again after the last.

“It wasn’t a bad run. He jumped well and travelled, so there was a lot to like about it.

“If hindsight tells us we have finished four-and-a-half-lengths behind a Gold Cup winner (Noble Yeats), then we will be happy. I thought we ran all right. There was a lot to like about it.”

The Norton, North Yorkshire-based handler is now eyeing the three-mile Rowland Meyrick, a Grade Three event that her late father, Malcolm Jefferson, won in successive seasons with According To Pete and Cape Tribulation (in 2011 and 2012).

“He has come out of the race very well, which is the main thing,” she added.

“I think we’ll do a similar thing to Ahoy Senor really, in that we will probably go Rowland Meyrick and then the Cotswold Chase (Cheltenham, January 28).

“All being well we will go to Wetherby, which is looking like the best Rowland Meyrick for a long time. Cape Tribulation won it off 142, so we will probably have near top weight as he is rated 157.

“It is looking like it is going to be one of the better renewals.

“We just keep finding the best version of whatever race we can run him in, so we’re also looking forward to the best Cotswold Chase there has been for about 10 years as well! It is just the way it is going.

“Early on there was a lot of quick ground and people couldn’t run them and now we have had a bit of frost and so people still can’t run.”

Ruth Jefferson will head to Wetherby on Boxing Day
Ruth Jefferson will head to Wetherby on Boxing Day (Julian Herbert/PA)

Jefferson is also mulling over a back-up plan for the Claxby & Co-owned Sounds Russian, should Wetherby be abandoned, with the possibility of taking on Noble Yeats again in the Grade Two Fleur De Lys Chase, run over two miles and six furlongs at Lingfield’s Winter Million meeting on January 22.

“I never really put Lingfield on the agenda. I don’t know why,” said Jefferson.

“It is the middle of January and deep ground won’t bother ‘Bruce’, so I suppose if he doesn’t end up going to Wetherby, if it is abandoned, we’d look at Lingfield.

“The only issue is it is a long way for all his owners, who are further north than me, so that’s probably why I’ve never put it on the agenda, but we’ll see.”

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