'Best-backed horse all week' - Marie's Rock among 20 Lanzarote declarations

Marie’s Rock could tee up a tilt at the Mares’ Hurdle if landing the Coral Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle (2.40) at Kempton on Saturday, with connections hopeful she is “back on the right track” and punters sharing their belief.

The Middleham Park Racing-owned seven-year-old has been backed into 6-1 second favourite (from 10) with the sponsors during the week for a race that has been boosted by £65,000 in prize-money to £100,000.

Marie’s Rock, a Listed mares’ novice hurdle winner in 2019, was among 20 declarations on Thursday morning, with fellow market principals Winter Fog and Rightplacerighttime, trained by Emmet Mullins, not featuring in the line-up.

Coral Lanzarote Hurdle racecard and betting

The Nicky Henderson-trained Marie's Rock was a seven-length winner over course and distance on King George VI Chase day and is the mount of Nico de Boinville, with Henderson, who has scooped the prize twice in the last four years, also saddling the James Bowen-ridden topweight Call Me Lord and the Connor Brace-ridden Monte Cristo.

Marie's Rock: a winner of four of her eight startsCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Tom Palin, partner and National Hunt manager for Middleham Park Racing, said: “It’s been the intention all week to run her and it’s the logical race to go for after last time.

“It’s a very lucrative prize and big thanks must go to Coral for their sponsorship, which now makes it one of the biggest handicap prizes outside the spring festivals. That will make it that bit harder to win, but you couldn’t fail to be impressed with how she went about her business when up in trip at Kempton.

“It was reminiscent of her novice hurdle days and she was always well regarded. She’s been out in the wilderness a little, but spent the summer with Ann Duffield and has come back a different animal.

“She’s going to have put in a very classy performance but hopefully she’s back on the right track.”

Marie’s Rock is entered in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, for which she is a general 25-1, and the Grade 1 contest could come under consideration if she defies a 9lb higher mark on Saturday.

Palin said: “It’s over to her and she has to go and earn her right to take part in a race like that, but we at least have the option.”

Gelino Bello: heads the betting with race sponsors CoralCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Harry Cobden partners leading fancy Gelino Bello, who has his first start in handicap company having finished second to Albert Bartlett favourite Blazing Khal in Grade 2 novice hurdles at Cheltenham on his last two starts. He heads the betting at 11-2 with Coral.

Prize-money on the Coral-sponsored seven-race card is worth just over £255,000, with the purse for the Silviniaco Conti Chase (2.05) up to £80,000 from £60,000. The Grade 2 event has attracted just four runners – Mister Fisher, Eldorado Allen, Rouge Vif and Defi Du Seuil – but Ladbrokes Coral PR director Simon Clare believes it is “pretty much par” for the race. Six runners has been the biggest yield since 2014.

Clare said: “This is only the second time since 2012, and only the fifth time since the turn of the century, that the Coral Lanzarote has hit the 20-runner mark, so we are thrilled to have a full field after more than doubling the prize-money to £100,000 in partnership with the Jockey Club.

"I can’t stress how important it is to see such a positive response in terms of runners to this injection of prize-money, and I’ve had lots of really positive comments from many owners and trainers since we announced this Kempton prize-money initiative, so it seems to have landed well.

“We are also delighted with the quality and competitiveness of the race, with the talented novice hurdler Gelino Bello shading favouritism with Coral at 11-2. However Marie’s Rock has been the best-backed horse all week and is now 6-1 having been 10-1 a couple of days ago. She could easily end up favourite if the support keeps coming following the declaration stage, especially given Nicky Henderson’s record in the race, with three wins in the last nine years.

Kempton: frost covers deployed on the take-off, landing and vulnerable areas on WednesdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

“We’d have preferred a couple more runners in the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase but four runners is pretty much par for the race since its inception, and they are four high quality runners so it’s a compelling race nonetheless.”

Frost covers were deployed on the take-off, landing and vulnerable areas at Kempton on Wednesday and temperatures dropped to -2C overnight, but there are no concerns with the going described as soft, good to soft in places.

Clerk of the course Barney Clifford said on Thursday: “It was quite a sharp frost overnight but we were perfectly raceable at 11am. It’s set to go down to -1C tonight and up to 7C tomorrow, so I don’t envisage any problems with that forecast.”

Coral Lanzarote Hurdle

Sponsors: 11-2 Gelino Bello, 6 Marie’s Rock, Up For Parol, 7 Green Book, 15-2 Earth Lord, 11 Cobblers Dream, Dans Le Vent 14 Ch’Tibello, On My Command, Quinta Do Mar, 22 bar.

Coral Lanzarote Hurdle runners and riders

Call Me LordJames Bowen
Ch'tibelloTristan Durrell
Dans Le VentIsabel Williams
Marie's RockNico de Boinville
William HenryJack Tudor
Monte Cristo Connor Brace
Gelino BelloHarry Cobden
Quinta Do MarLuca Morgan
Carys' CommodityJonjo O'Neill Jr
Cabot CliffsBridget Andrews
Up For ParolGavin Sheehan
Earth LordTom O'Brien
Highway One O TwoJamie Moore
Press Your LuckBrendan Powell
Green BookNed Fox
Cobblers DreamJack Quinlan
Commanche RedFergus Gillard
Bold PlanSean Bowen
Foster'sislandEmma Smith-Chaston
On My CommandJonathan Burke

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