James Owen eyeing Flat return for Burdett Road

High-class juvenile hurdler misses Cheltenham Festival.

Burdett Road could make a brief return to the Flat this autumn after injury denied him a shot at the JCB Triumph Hurdle.

The four-year-old was a Royal Ascot winner when trained on the level by Michael Bell and became a leading Cheltenham Festival contender after making a smooth transition to hurdling.

An impressive victory at Prestbury Park in November saw him installed as Triumph Hurdle favourite and although Sir Gino usurped him in that particular market when lowering Burdett Road’s colours on Festival Trials day, connections were still targeting a run in the juvenile Grade One at the Festival.

Burdett Road scoring on the Flat at Royal Ascot
Burdett Road scoring on the Flat at Royal Ascot (David Davies/PA)

However, a setback meant he was ruled out of the showpiece meeting and trainer James Owen is considering options on the Flat before he jumps obstacles again later in the year.

“He’s fine and he will probably start exercising again in the next week or two,” said Owen.

“He won’t jump again this season and I suspect he will have a little break now and then maybe have a look at the Flat.

“He hasn’t had a proper break, so we might just give him a proper break and then pick out a couple of races in the autumn. He will go hurdling again next season, what will we aim him at? I suppose maybe the Greatwood, but we haven’t really thought about it at this stage.

“It was just a small injury to the foot that came at the wrong time. We were gutted about it, but with the ground the way it is, things happen for a reason. He doesn’t know he’s had a problem and he’s absolutely fine now.”

In Burdett Road’s immediate absence, Newmarket-based Owen has Sweet Fantasy to look forward to after the exciting mare took her hurdles record to two from two with a wide-margin romp at Catterick recently.

Owned, like Burdett Road, by the Gredley Family, she skipped 17 lengths clear of Irish raider Lily Du Berlais at the North Yorkshire track and her handler believes she has a big future ahead of her.

“I was going to enter her in the Mares’ Novices’ at Cheltenham but I pulled her out in the end,” continued Owen.

“She went to Catterick to qualify for the (Herring Queen Series) final (at Kelso) and she will probably run in the final. I will put her in at Aintree just in case, but the final is GBP 100,000 and I want to keep her amongst her own sex if I can – she’s nice.

“We will probably run her on the Flat then and she’s probably still got some work to do on the Flat – she’s a nice filly. I’m excited for next year as she’s a big, raw filly.”

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