Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Jamie Snowden may not have had many runners on the Flat but he has enjoyed a fruitful summer with Hope Rising and is going in search of a five-timer at Goodwood on Wednesday.
The five-year-old was switched from hurdling in June when running out a three-length fourth of eight on the level at Bath.
But she followed that up with victories at Lingfield, Nottingham, Chepstow and back at Lingfield, and the Lambourn handler has now decided to step her up in class in search of better prize-money.
Snowden said: “She’s been a star hasn’t she? We’ve had five runs this summer and four wins so we can’t complain too much.
“It’s a step up in grade for her and she’s up in the handicap. She went up 7lb for her last win and it’s up in class and better quality animals that she’ll be taking on, but the prize-money was there and she’s won four races and hasn’t won a great deal in prize-money so we thought it was worth going for a better pot.
“She’s very versatile, she’s a very good hurdler but she just had a few ‘whoopsies’ at the start so we put her back on the Flat and she stays very well, she’s a smart mare. We might even go chasing at some point, she jumps fences very well too!”
Meanwhile, Snowden’s Albert Bartlett hero Johnny’s Jury will embark on a novice chasing career after winning three of his four starts since transferring from the care of Nicky Henderson.
He barely had to break sweat when winning at Exeter and Carlisle to set up a chance at the Festival and despite being two lengths down at the final flight he got up to win the Albert Bartlett by one and a half lengths from Fruit De Mer.
He signed off his season with a third-place finish in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree before having a well-earned summer break.
Snowden said: “He had a great season and obviously winning the Albert Bartlett was a great thrill at the Festival and he’s back in and looking well, so he’s going to go novice chasing this season.
“A lot depends on the weather really (for where we start), I’d like to get a run into him before it but maybe that the Grade Two Esher Novices’ Chase at Sandown might be a nice target for him.”
Wendigo will be pointed at the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury, and Snowden added: “He’s good, he’s going to have a prep run and all being well he’s going to go for the Coral Gold Cup, what used to be the Hennessy, so that will be his early-season target.
“He was kicked down at the start (Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree) and it simply didn’t happen for him the poor chap. He’s a second-season novice chaser hopefully on a handicap mark he can work on and the Hennessy will be a nice target for him.”
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