Lookaway firmly on course for Betfair Hurdle bid

Adam Morgan
February 5, 2024 4:57 pm

Classy novice bringing strong credentials to valuable Newbury handicap.

Lookaway will return to the scene of his brave Challow Hurdle second on Saturday after featuring in the confirmations for the Betfair Hurdle.

Neil King’s charge was a Grade Two bumper winner in the spring of 2022 and after a disappointing 2022-2023 campaign has flourished in his second season as a novice hurdler – winning three of his five starts, including a Grade Two at Cheltenham’s October meeting.

Second in the Greatwood Hurdle the following month, he was upped in trip for the Grade One Challow at Newbury over the Christmas period where he went down fighting to Captain Teague.

Lookaway (centre) chased home Captain Teague in the Challow Hurdle (David Davies/PA)

He now drops back in trip attempting to regain the winning thread and, although he holds an entry for a Listed event at Exeter on Sunday, his handler has confirmed Newbury is the plan.

King said: “We’re 100 per cent going for the Betfair. He came out the Challow really well and he worked on the grass on Saturday morning and worked great.

“Jack (Quinlan, jockey) is going to school him on Tuesday morning and it is very much all systems go for the Betfair Hurdle.

Cream always rises to the top!
Captain Teague wins the Coral Challow Novices’ Hurdle for Paul Nicholls#ITVRacing |@NewburyRacing pic.twitter.com/2wdwJK6LN3
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) December 30, 2023

“The (forecast) rain doesn’t bother me at all and it is probably a blessing for us. It will help blunt some of the others speed and put the emphasis on stamina, I hope.

“He’s a second-season novice and that bit extra experience running in these competitive races should stand him in good stead. We hope he can take another step forwards.”

There were 26 still in the mix after Monday’s confirmation stage. Willie Mullins’ stable newcomer Ocastle Des Mottes is listed as joint-favourite with the sponsors alongside Nicky Henderson’s pair of Greatwood winner Iberico Lord and Ascot Christmas scorer Luccia.

Luccia struck at Ascot in December (Steven Paston/PA)

Henderson also has recent Grade Two runner-up Under Control and Doddiethegreat in the mix, where the latter will be bidding to avenge his Cheltenham defeat at the hands of Olly Murphy’s Go Dante if reopposing at the weekend.

Other notable names include Ben Pauling’s highly-regarded Tellherthename and Gerry Feilden one-three Hansard (Gary Moore) and Brentford Hope (Harry Derham), who are both course and distance winners