Golden Ace set to move down in distance for next outing

Jeremy Scott will drop star mare Golden Ace in trip after her third-place finish in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.

The seven-year-old won all four of her starts last season, including a famous Festival defeat of Brighterdaysahead, but has yet to get her nose in front from two races this term after she was previously fourth in the Ascot Hurdle on her seasonal bow.

Scott is hoping to get the best out of the daughter of Golden Horn later in the season, but for her next assignment, going down in distance is on the cards.

He said: “That was our intention before the race (Relkeel Hurdle).

“We wanted to find her a drop in trip. We probably should have waited for Ascot for the two-mile mares’ race there but Lorcan (Williams) didn’t think that Ascot particularly suited the mare, so we decided to go to Cheltenham.

“The idea is that she will drop back in trip, possibly run in the Betfair (Newbury, February 8) or the Kingwell (Wincanton, February 15).

“We’ve got an entry in the Mares’ Hurdle (over two and a half miles) but we might swerve Cheltenham and just go to Aintree. Let the grown-ups play at Cheltenham.

“I don’t think we’ve really had the mare right this year, but last year we didn’t manage to run her until after Christmas and I hope she’s going to come into herself in the spring.

“I still feel there’s a lot of improvement, even over that trip, and I don’t think the ground was plenty soft enough for her. I still think we’ve got a lot of scope at that trip but I imagine we will drop her back in trip with this next run.”

Veteran stablemate Dashel Drasher could return to Ascot once more on January 18 as he bids to regain the bet365 Handicap Chase he won in 2021, with four of his 12 career victories coming at the Berkshire track.

Scott said: “He’s fine. There’s a handicap at Ascot, the one he won a few years ago over two-five, if he’s ready for then.

“Otherwise, we’d wait and look at another handicap somewhere. Another option would possibly be the Denman, which I know is a weight for age depending on entries. But we’ll look at Ascot first.”