Luccia likely to tackle Exeter Listed heat

Festival favourite missed last month’s Tolworth Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson’s Luccia is likely to make her next start in a Listed contest at Exeter.

Unbeaten in three runs in bumper and hurdles company, an unsatisfactory scope ruled her out of her intended run in last month’s Grade One Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown.

That issue has now been resolved and Luccia is now going to head to the Listed Virgin Bet Novices’ Hurdle at Exeter on February 12, ahead of a possible bid for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival – race for which she is currently the 3-1 second favourite.

Luccia and jockey James Bowen
Luccia and jockey James Bowen (John Walton/PA)

“She had a dirty scope a while back when we were trying to run her in the Tolworth, that’s all cleared,” the trainer told Sky Sports Racing.

“There’s quite a nice Listed novice hurdle at Exeter on Sunday week, I would think that would be the likely port of call.

“I was always thinking I would get two more runs into her, but I’m not finding it as easy to map that out as I rather hoped I might.

“In that case it might be one more and she’ll go for that Listed race down there.”

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