Crack Away Jack: around 7-1 to win the Arkle at Cheltenham in March

  PICTURE: David Dew  

Crack Away Jack to face three in Henry VIII

JUST four runners have been declared for the Betinternet.com Henry VIII Novices' Chase at Sandown on Saturday.

The small but select field is headed by Crack Away Jack, who will bid to enhance his Irish Independent Arkle Trophy prospects by defeating the Nicky Henderson-trained hat-trick seeker First Point, thePaul Nicholls-trained Tchico Polos, who has also won his last two, and last-time-out scorer Somersby.

Crack Away Jack's trainer Emma Lavelle decided against running her stable star in the Keith Prowse Hospitality Tingle Creek on the same card believing taking on the novices was better at this stage in the horse's career.

She said: "We put him in the Tingle Creek to see what was in there and whether it would cut up. It cut up to only five runners, but five verygood ones and it made the decision to stick with the novice route much easier.

"That's not to say this isn't a hot little contest. He has had experience round the track and he should run well. I think the ground should be fine. In an ideal world he would love good to soft ground but he has handled every sort of ground through his career so far.

"If there is anywhere that softer ground is going to be easier to handle, it is Sandown because you always get that respite down the back."

The £33,000 Grade 2 chase will kick off Channel 4 Racing's Saturday programme at 1.55pm.