McCain thinks right is ‘wrong’ for Minella Drama

Minella Drama is likely to be kept away from right-handed tracks in future having been pulled up in the Peterborough Chase.

He won the Old Roan Chase from Hitman and Ahoy Senor on his seasonal reappearance, going one better than 12 months previously.

With a rating of 150 he is quite hard to place, so Donald McCain pitched him into Grade Two company at Huntingdon but he did not look happy from halfway.

He now has options at Wetherby and Aintree over Christmas.

“He didn’t really have a race to be honest,” said McCain.

“We always had it in our heads that because he jumps a bit right, he’s going to be a better horse going right-handed.

“Actually, we’ve come away from the other day thinking that is completely wrong, because what he does is take a shift to his right when he jumps and that takes him away from other horses.

“All his best form is left-handed, when he can do his own thing. He went down the inner on Sunday and hit the uprights of the fences a couple of times by shifting right, he just didn’t like the whole experience.

“Brian (Hughes) could have popped him over the last few and picked up the prize money but we’ve had a rough few weeks with a few horses getting hurt, so the most important thing was getting him home in one piece.

“We’ll see how he is but there’s a handicap at Aintree on Boxing Day or the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby over three miles. They are both possibles.”