WITH the jumping season in full swing in Britain, the first major attraction is today's Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, in which a dashing grey jumper called One Man attempts to emulate the great Arkle by winning back-to-back runnings of this famous handicap chase at Newbury, writes Jim McGrath.
One Man is a firm 6-4 favourite despite the fact that he has been without a booked jockey for most of the week. Only in the past 48 hours was Mark Dwyer, the northern-based stylist, secured for the mount, and it came only when Jodami, his regular ride, pulled out of the big race. Tony Dobbin is One Man's regular partner, but the young rider suffered a broken bone in his hand earlier in the week and is sidelined.
Richard Dunwoody was approached, but after much soul-searching he reluctantly declined. Dunwoody, conceding the inevitable that it is impossible to be in two places at once, is to honour his commitment to the Jim Dreaper-trained Merry Gale in today's MMI Punchestown Chase in Ireland. Confirmation of the situation left trainer Gordon Richards with a long list of contenders, eager for the choice mount on One Man, who is regarded as a Gold Cup prospect. 'I was looking for a jockey who sits quietly,' said Richards.
'One Man is not a difficult horse to ride, and there were plenty of jockeys available, who could do the job. 'Peter Niven is riding plenty of winners and he was probably top of the list, but when Mark [Dwyer] became available, he was the obvious choice. I asked Richard [Dunwoody] for his suggestion, and he said Brian Storey, because he is such a good man in the country,' the trainer added. Dwyer can prepare himself for one of the best spare, big-race mounts he is will ever stumble across. 'The horse is ready,' confirmed Richards. 'He did some work this morning, jumped three fences, and then did a bit more work.' Plans to redevelop Kempton Park as an all-weather track suitable for racing under floodlights have been scrapped, thus enabling jump racing's traditional Boxing Day feature, the King George VI Tripleprint Chase, to continue in its present, popular form. United Racecourses, who conduct racing at Kempton, Epsom and Sandown Park, yesterday announced that none of the options available to the board could be funded for under GBP20 million, something not viable at this time.
Edward Gillespie, the managing director of UR, said yesterday: 'At this stage, the potential returns cannot justify the size of the investment. this, combined with the fact that a quality all-weather track could not be combined with National Hunt racing, has pursuaded the board of UR that a major development cannot, at present, be justified.'
