Grandeur D’Ame in great form as he tries again in the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham

Before taking his place with 400 others in the beautiful Cheltenham College Chapel on Thursday, where fellow trainers, owners, press and friends and family of Alastair Down’s gathered for his memorial, Alan found time to watch I’m A Lumberjack continue Barbury’s good run when winning at Warwick.

Alan will be making the same journey on Saturday, this time heading for the home of steeplechasing where Grandeur D’Ame attempts to improve on last year’s fourth in the December Gold Cup, still referred to by plenty of locals as ‘the Massey Ferguson’.

Grandeur D’Ame runs well fresh, so it was no surprise when he won first time out this season at Chepstow in October, and on a mark just 4lb higher he looks to have a solid chance of following up. He jumped super on the Gwent course and got into a great rhythm.

Alan said:”We made our minds up after Chepstow to put Grandeur D’Ame away and keep him for this. Everything has gone well in the interim, and the Chepstow form has since been given a boost as the beaten horses behind him included the subsequent first and second in the Paddy Power Gold Cup,

“Furthermore, Grandeur D’Ame would not mind if more rain fell to make the ground softer, and the way he has been working at home recently suggests that he is a better horse than he was when running in last year’s race.”

Alan had been looking at Doncaster on Saturday for last season’s Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Favour And Fortune, and, though Alan feels another week would do him good so plans to keep him back for Ascot next Saturday, he is still looking forward to Town Moor this week-end, with Ernest Gray and Off The Jury off to Yorkshire.

Ernest Gray bids to go one better in the three-mile handicap hurdle than he did at Warwick last month, and Alan said:”We’ve opted to try him in a visor this time, and he is much happier over hurdles than he was over fences. He has topweight, but I still hope that he will be competitive.”

We make an early start to Saturday with Off The Jury in action in the 11.55am. Having missed last week’s Chepstow meeting when it was abandoned because of he storms, Off The Jury is also trying to go one better, having finished second at Aintree on his seasonal reappearnce last month. Alan thinks the horse has improved for that first run back and is also settling better now.

Alan has been getting quite excited about the return of Windsor on the jumping calendar, and he is optimistic of getting off to a flyer on the Thames-side course on Sunday with Helnwein, who has to give his four rivals weight in the novice handicap chase.

Helnwein looks sure to go off favourite, and Alan, who confirmed that stable-star Edwardstone is none the worse for his fall in last week’s Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown and is earmarked to return in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton over Christmas, is very hopeful that Helnwein can win at the second time of asking over fences.

He said;”I did well when Windsor staged jumping in the past, with three winners from just 10 runners, and it would be great if Helnwein can get the ball rolling again. He was a good novice hurdler, and I was delighted how well he ran when runner-up on his chasing debut at Warwick. He finished second to a progressive mare who was getting 12lb, and our fellow has come on for that.”

Finally, we have one runner on the Flat at Wolverhampton on Saturday, Naomhi in the 0-75 fillies handicap. Alan has been pleased how Naomhi has been shaping up in maidens and novices and thinks she will also benefit from this drop in trip.