Tim Vaughan plans to have Saint Are cherry-ripe for his first run of the season in the Hennessy Gold Cup on December 1
Tim Vaughan plans to have Saint Are cherry-ripe for his first run of the season in the Hennessy Gold Cup on December 1.
Last Updated: 19/11/12 1:22pm
Saint Are ended the last campaign on a high with victory in the John Smith's Handicap Chase at Aintree in April and Vaughan intends having the six-year-old in the same form for the prestigious staying event.
That is one of the reasons the Vale Of Glamorgan-based handler has decided not to give Saint Are a prep run before the Hennessy, for which he has been allotted 10st 5lb.
"He loves a flat, galloping track. He's run well at Newbury in the past and has obviously run well at Aintree and they are not massively dissimilar," Vaughan told At The Races.
"He's a second-season novice and that is what tends to win those races like the Hennessy and fingers crossed he'll run his race and be competitive.
"I'd like to think we've kept him fresh for the Hennessy and he's off the right sort of weight.
"He had a racecourse gallop at Ffos Las last Sunday.
"It's an ideal weight especially if the ground is testing.
"It never entered my mind to give him a race before. I just think he's on a sensible mark at the moment and I was keen to keep that mark.
"If he had gone and won a lower grade race or gone and run well in another race, that would have taken the edge off his handicap mark.
"I just thought we'd go to the Hennessy and it should be perfect for him. The trip, the track, everything falls in.
"I never wanted to give him a prep run. I always wanted to start him off fresh and well. We'll see how we go and make further plans after that."