That’s Nice wins cosily at Warwick, but Festival foray unlikely

That’s Nice got back to winning ways at Warwick but Nicky Henderson has all but ruled out a trip to the Cheltenham Festival for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.

Bred by Noreen McManus and running in the green and gold colours of her husband JP, she looked a very exciting prospect when beating Dan Skelton’s Honky Tonk Highway on her hurdling debut.

Given that runner-up has subsequently won a Listed event at Sandown easily and was only just touched off at the Winter Million meeting at Windsor on Friday, it was puzzling when That’s Nice finished last of four at Cheltenham on her next outing.

Henderson is keen to put that down to the drop back to two miles, however, and back up in trip for the first division of the Watch RacingTV Free For 31 Days Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, she overcame an early jumping error and was value for much more than the one-and-a-quarter-length winning margin over Miss Cynthia.

“I don’t know what happened to her at Cheltenham, she got all jazzed up before it at the start,” said Henderson of the 8-11 favourite.

“I suppose that was two miles but she wants this trip, as she stays and she does go in this ground.”

Betfair and Paddy Power cut her to 16-1 from 33s for the Cheltenham race registered as the Dawn Run but Henderson advised punters to hold off backing her.

He said: “I wouldn’t have thought the Cheltenham race would suit her, but I’ll have to talk to JP, that’s two miles and I would have thought she definitely wants two and a half.

“She’s a long-term plan, she’s a chaser – as long as she doesn’t jump like she did when she broke that hurdle! She actually jumped fine after that.”

The second division went the way of Nigel Twiston-Davies’ 11-8 market leader I Am The Moon.

Ben Pauling’s Leader In The Park followed up an impressive victory at Kempton on Boxing Day in the racingtv.com/freetrial Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase – but only just.

Having initially looked set to run out an impressive winner, the petrol gauge began to flicker after the final fence and Ben Jones was getting more and more urgent in the saddle.

He managed to eventually hold on by half a length and justify 5-4 favouritism.

“All he did was battle all the way to the line and he showed a bit of grit and determination,” said Jones.

“I was hoping he was going to improve for the last day and I think he has. He got into a lovely rhythm, he jumped fantastic down the back straight and I was able to fill him up once more turning for home.

“He messed two out up but he winged the last, but then he did get a little tired and probably idled a bit, but he held on – which was the main thing.”

He looks another smart prospect in the novice chase department for Pauling, which also includes The Jukebox Man and Handstands.

“I was looking forward in the summer when they were all doing road work, it’s a nice position to be in,” said Jones.

Another good performance on the card came from James Owen’s Lavender Hill Mob (evens favourite) in the Hazelton Mountford Insurance Brokers Juvenile Hurdle.

Owen is looking forward to seeing his main Triumph Hurdle hope East India Dock at Cheltenham on Saturday but when that one won by a wide margin in November, he nominated Lavender Hill Mob as potentially better. Unfortunately, that has not proved to be the case.

“I probably put the mockers on him by saying I thought he’d be very good but his work at home was strong and his schooling was very good and we thought he’d get the job done at Newcastle but he didn’t, which was fine,” said Owen.

“Then he went to Cheltenham and again I thought he’d win but he didn’t come up the hill, he’s just taken a lot of time to learn.

“I don’t know what he’s beaten today but he’ll get a mark now and next week we’ll see where we are.

“We thought he was a Triumph horse but obviously he’s paved his own way for the Boodles and we’ve got time to get another run into him, he’s only just come in his coat.

“He’s classy, he hasn’t shown that yet over hurdles but hopefully that will come.”