Big kennels reveal their significant St Leger plans
BUTTERBRIDGE ALI is "very unlikely" to contest the William Hill St Leger after spraining ligaments in finishing runner-up to Barnfield Loreto in the Derby Purse Grand Final at Yarmouth last week.
Mark Wallis, who had nursed the talented May '05 son of Soviet Ferrari back from a career-threatening injury sustained on Betfair Trainers' Championship night at Wimbledon in March to win four opens - at Walthamstow (twice, including a track-record performance over 640 metres), Sittingbourne and Yarmouth - this summer, said: "He's lame and very unlikely to be fit in time for the Leger."
The trainer added: "He was running so well, and it's a big blow. He's sprained ligaments and, while it doesn't appear too serious, he could be off for anything up to six weeks which would rule him out of Wimbledon [starts October 11]."
Wallis still intends to be three-handed in the premier stayers' Classic via Aero Blackjack, Tipp The Breeze and Directors Chair - finished fourth to Spiridon Louis last year - who was a beaten odds-on favourite at Coventry on Sunday.
Another of the Imperial Kennels stars, Eye Onthe Veto, is not a Leger contender. "He's being aimed at the Essex Vase, not the Leger," Wallis revealed.
Charlie Lister, successful in 1996 and 2006 with Spring Rose and Ninja Blue respectively, is likely to be represented by William Hill TV Trophy runner-up Swift Blackfoot, who faces a field including staunch campaigner Big Brett Coal and the unexposed Swindon stayer Wise Maldini in a Wimbledon open over 668 metres tonight.
Lister said yesterday: "The owner wants her to run in the Leger, and she's in good form at the moment. I doubt I'll have anything else for it. We've one or two young dogs who will make up into nicestayers in due course, but they're too young now."
The Peter Swadden-trained Wise Maldini, who broke the Swindon track record for 737 metres earlier this month when powering over eight lengths clear of Baran Miami, has won three of his last four starts and appears to have lots of potential.
Matt Dartnall will give his St Leger candidate Bitofamonkey a Plough Lane workout tomorrow morning, while Brian Clemenson is also due to attend with the likes of ShelbourneRich, Centaur Cappo and Shelbourne Tiger.
Wimbledon's experiment with Tuesday night opens has gone reasonably well, according to assistant racing manager Owen Winkley. He said yesterday: "As far as the quality of entry is concerned, it's been a success.
"We got Me Buddy last week, and Rossacredibility runs tomorrow. It's been a test to see whether there's a market for Tuesday night open-racing at Wimbledon. I'd say it's been a reasonable success, but where we go from here will be determined when Gary [Matthews, racing manager] gets back from his holiday and talks with Darren [Kennedy, general manager] about it."
He added: "Wimbledon has plenty of open-racing for the rest of the year. The St Leger is starting next month, and then we've the Puppy Oaks and the Oaks, so we'll just see what happens."
