Deputy Dan has Warwick assignment
Oliver Sherwood is considering Deputy Dan for the Grade Two Neptune hurdle at Warwick on Saturday.
Last Updated: 07/01/14 1:01pm
The six-year-old won two of his three starts in bumpers last term and got off the mark at the third time of asking over hurdles with an impressive 19-length success on heavy ground at Chepstow on December 28.
He had shaped encouragingly in his first two outings over hurdles, finding only Champagne West, who won by 10 lengths at Wincanton next time, a length too strong in a course and distance event on December 8 and losing out to Oscar Fortune by a similar margin at Carlisle on November 3.
Sherwood reported: "I haven't looked at the entries for the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle yet and need to discuss it with the owner, so I will assess it and make a decision on Wednesday or Thursday. He is in there with the idea to run, but I just want to see how he progresses during the week.
"He has come out of Chepstow in brilliant form and I am very much aware of capitalising when the ground is like this. He obviously loves it and other horses don't.
"I think he should be up to this sort of level. They put him 10 pounds for winning at Chepstow and he is now rated 132, so he is entitled to have a go at this instead of going for an ordinary novice race."
A high-class entry also features Creepy (Martin Keighley) and Killala Quay (Charlie Longsdon), winners of Neptune Investment Management-sponsored Grade Two contests at Cheltenham and Sandown respectively, decisive Ascot scorer Royal Boy (Nicky Henderson)and the unbeaten Red Sherlock (David Pipe).
Other notables include highly-regarded Wetherby victor Diamond King (Donald McCain) and dual hurdle winners Vice Et Vertu (Henry D
aly) and Spirit Of Shankly (Charlie Longsdon), while Irish interest comes in the shape of the Willie Mullins-trained Rathvinden, who has won two bumpers and a maiden hurdle on his three starts to date.