'Everyone's telling me Lossiemouth is a superstar - but we've got a good one'

Britain's leading Triumph Hurdle hope Scriptwriter, who took time out from his jumping schedule to win on the Flat at Wolverhampton last Friday, could have two more races before the Cheltenham Festival.

Formerly trained by Aidan O'Brien, Scriptwriter was unbeaten in two starts for Milton Harris over hurdles before returning to the Flat in search of a sounder surface when landing a 1m4f handicap under Rob Hornby at Dunstall Park.

Scriptwriter, a general 16-1 chance for the Triumph, could now head to Cheltenham for Trials day on January 28.

Harris said: “The reason Scriptwriter ran at Wolverhampton was because I have an obligation to win prize-money for the owner and the horse had been ready to run for two weeks.

"His engagements over jumps were called off and we then decided to pull him out of Chepstow last week on account of the ground.

“We took the view that running him on soft ground would have cost him his juvenile season as it can be so demanding.

"After that, he was throwing himself around the yard and I needed to do something with him, which was either work him or run him at Wolverhampton.

"In the morning he was 5-2 favourite but all he did all day was drift, which resulted in a number of my owners texting me to ask what was wrong with the horse.”

Lossiemouth: current favourite for the TriumphCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Scriptwriter was sent off an 11-1 chance and collared Base Note close home.

Harris added: “He won a shade cosily and the owner won £13,500, so it was happy days.

"We have a plan now to take him to the Trials day at Cheltenham on January 28 and possibly the Adonis at Kempton after that before the Triumph Hurdle.”

In the longer term, Harris is not averse to a return to the Flat with his 62,000gns purchase.

He said: “We’ve got a good horse on our hands. Everyone keeps telling me [Triumph favourite] Lossiemouth is a superstar and she may well be, but Scriptwriter is a higher-rated Flat horse than her.

"He's unexposed on the Flat and we’ll protect his handicap mark as we could look at something like the Ebor with him next season."

JCB Triumph Hurdle (1.30 Cheltenham, Friday March 17)

Betfair: 6-4 Lossiemouth, 9 Jupiter Du Gite, 10 Gala Marceau, Zarak The Brave, 14 Comfort Zone, 16 Bo Zenith, Scriptwriter, 20 Blood Destiny, St Donats, 25 Bar.

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