Snowden leaning towards Denman Chase for Ga Law

Ga Law is set to return to action in Denman Chase at Newbury before possibly targeting the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Jamie Snowden-trained gelding was pencilled to line up for the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham last weekend, but was a non-runner due to unsuitable ground.

He has an entry for Pertemps Network Group Handicap Hurdle at Musselburgh on Sunday, although the Folly House handler revealed he favours bypassing that assignment for a trip to Newbury for the William Hill-sponsored Denman on February 8.

“He’s doing really well,” Snowden said. “I’m very happy with him, obviously we were going to go to the Cleeve Hurdle at the weekend but on the back of the frost and all that, we just figured his best form is not on soft ground.

“His best form is on good to soft or good so we just thought we would abide ourselves with a little bit of patience, but the Stayers’ Hurdle is still in the reckoning as a possible.

“Where we go from here? We’re in over hurdles at Musselburgh at the weekend, but probably favouring the Denman at Newbury the following week to be honest with you.

“The plan is the ground. If we get too picky about the ground over fences, we would never run him.

“The Stayers’ Hurdle is a possibility, we just want a little bit nicer ground so we are thinking Denman followed by Stayers’ Hurdle if that works as a route. We are just going to avoid the worst of the winter ground.”

Another star in the making for Snowden is Wendigo, who outran his odds to finish four and three-quarter lengths behind The New Lion in in the Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury last month.

The six-year-old is preparing for the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle in March, with his trainer revealing he make one more appearance on track next month before his big day at Prestbury Park.

“Great, great run in the Challow, that had been the plan all along,” Snowden said. “He ran really well that day, he’s in the Albert Bartlett and that’s very much the plan.

“We will get a prep run into him in February and then the Albert Bartlett. We will have a prep run in a novice hurdle, just an ordinary novice hurdle with a penalty. He’s only got the one penalty for his Ludlow win.”