What about the top chases for vanquished Yorkhill next season?
Yorkhill threw it away at Fairyhouse on Sunday and our top team assess his chances in next season's big races
Andrew Scutts, news editor
He was eased for the King George, a bookmaker reaction you could not quibble with. Although in different ownership, the stable has Douvan and Un De Sceaux as long-range possibles for the Kempton prize, and both must become more prominent candidates in the wake of Yorkhill’s leftfield performance. He remained unchanged at around 7-1 third favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, and that looks much more his bag, He’s clearly got oodles of talent and wouldn’t it be great sport to see him and Might Bite among those fighting it out up the hill at Prestbury Park next spring.
Tom Park, The Edge
I think it's safe to say the King George is off the cards after this performance, but write Yorkhill's Cheltenham Gold Cup chances off at your peril. This is a horse of immense talent and, as he has shown over the past two seasons, he has no problems going left-handed at Prestbury Park. It wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility for Willie Mullins to decide on a crack at the Champion Hurdle with Yorkhill next season, which emphasises how talented the seven-year-old actually is. The fact he could run in a number of races at the festival would put me off backing him at 7-1 for the Gold Cup at this stage, but should he line up he will be the one I'd want to be on.
Mark Scully, reporter
The prospect of Yorkhill going head-to-head with Might Bite in a Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup is a thrilling one, not only because of the obvious talent the pair possess but also because both are so wonderfully quirky to boot. As far as Yorkhill is concerned, his obvious preference for going left-handed makes Cheltenham the place to go with him, and if he showed anything when throwing away victory at Fairyhouse it was that he has an extraordinary engine. The King George is not his race, but he could clearly head to the Cheltenham Festival via the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown.
Published on 16 April 2017inReports
Last updated 10:32, 17 April 2017
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