'He has the speed for a Champion Hurdle' - but decision made on next campaign for Cheltenham-Aintree winner Barton Snow

Joe O’Shea understandably said he “could do anything” with Barton Snow in light of his Cheltenham Festival winner’s brilliant follow-up victory in the Foxhunters' at Aintree last week, but the trainer has now confirmed that the nine-year-old will be sticking to the point-to-point and hunter chase ranks next season.

The enigmatic O’Shea said: “He has the speed for a Champion Hurdle, but he will definitely be back to defend his crowns. He will not be running under rules.”

While O’Shea suggested at Aintree that he had an even better one at home in Boley Bob, his enthusiasm for Barton Snow is clear, and little wonder given he became the first hunter chaser since On The Fringe in 2016 to achieve the Cheltenham and Aintree double. His Racing Post Rating would certainly have made him a worthy candidate for some of next season’s biggest staying chases.

So is it a shame he will not follow in the footsteps of the top-class hunter chasers who have come before him? Spartan Missile is considered the greatest hunter chaser of all time, winning 23 of 38 hunter chases, and he also finished second in Aldaniti’s Grand National and fourth in a Gold Cup. In the 1990s, Cool Dawn and Rushing Wild won the Foxhunter at Cheltenham before returning to finish first and second in the Gold Cup, showing the possibilities.

However, Barton Snow’s owners, the MMI Partnership, are true point-to-point and hunter-chase fanatics, and it speaks highly of the grassroots sport that they will continue to campaign such a brilliant horse as they have done before.

Partnership member Steve Allen said: “I have been involved with point-to-pointers for many years and our dream was to get a horse capable of winning at Cheltenham. I am very boring, I study the form obsessively. I found this lad in Ireland. He was in a good academy with Willie Murphy and I liked the stallion, Snow Sky.”

Young prospects fill the places

Henry Crow was the jockey lucky enough to ride Barton Snow but wasn’t the only young British rider to have a special spin at Aintree. The jockeys of the first four home are all at the beginning of their careers with so much more in front of them.

British-born Sophie Carter finished second aboard Lets Go Champ for Irish-based Mags Mullins. Carter grew up in Oxfordshire, moved to Ireland in 2019 and gained invaluable experience attached to the Colin Bowe yard, only to miss most of last season through injury.

She said: “I am now working for Mags Mullins and feel very lucky to have had the ride on Champ. Mags and Danny have done amazingly with him. They only got him in January with the aim of getting to the Foxhunters' so to finish second was fantastic.”

Sophie Carter: finished second in the Foxhunters' on Lets Go Champ

Third-placed Take All, sourced and trained by Myles Osborne, is owned by Martine Scott and was ridden by her son Samuel, who said: “We bought him so I had something more competitive than my previous schoolmaster and he has been wonderful in giving us many special days. Thursday was amazing; he jumped brilliantly and to jump the last in front was everything I had ever dreamed of as a kid.”

Scott hopes in time to turn conditional, but for now will continue to gain experience within the point-to-point field. He is based full-time with Ben Pauling, who said: “We were absolutely delighted with Sam and Take All’s performance. He gets on so well with the horse and it just shows how an amateur partnership sometimes between horse and rider can make such a brilliant combination.”

Riding two winners point-to-pointing over Easter set up Heidi Palin’s week well, and she enjoyed a wonderful ride in the Foxhunters' on Unexpected Party to finish fourth before winning the Grade 2 bumper on Forthfactor.

Both rides came for her boss, newly crowned champion trainer Dan Skelton, who said: “Heidi is a big part of the team; she has done all the hard work on Forthfactor and deserved to keep the ride. She is a great rider and we're very proud of what her and our other young jockeys here are achieving – Tristan Durrell, obviously, and Sean O’Connor had a great spin in the Foxhunters' on Snipe. We have a great depth of young riders.”

Weekend fixtures

Saturday 

Charm Park Yorkshire, YO13 9QU. Seven races, first race 1pm
Flete Park Devon, PL21 9NU. Six races, first race 2pm
Chaddesley Corbett Worcestershire, DY10 4QT. Six races, first race 2pm 

Sunday 

Kingston Blount Oxfordshire, OX39 4SG. Six races, first race 1pm
Cotley Somerset TA20 3EP. Six races, first race 2pm.
Lower Machen Wales. NP10 8GA. Six races, first race 2pm

‘How good can he be? I don't know is the answer’ - Barton double increasing the chance of Snow 

Barton Snow brings home big hunter chase double for Joe O'Shea - as trainer declares he 'has one even better at home' 

'I'll retire after Stratford' - Joe O'Shea threatens to bow out after Barton Snow lands hunter glory under ice-cool Henry Crow  

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