Hennessy Gold Cup potential target for Fingal Bay
Last Updated: 21/10/14 3:55pm
Fingal Bay is set to return to action on Saturday week - with a tilt at the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury an early-season possibility.
Philip Hobbs' charge returned from a season on the sidelines last term with a three-race campaign including victory in the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham.
The trainer told Racing UK: “Fingal Bay will probably run on November 1 but I’m not sure whether it will be in the three mile condition hurdle at Wetherby or he might just run in the three mile £100,000 handicap chase at Ascot.
"Chasing has to be a very strong option. He was a very good prospective novice chaser before having an injury and a year off. When he came back we wanted to get him going over hurdles again and he stayed over them.
"He’s only run in three chases, he won very easily at Chepstow the first time and ran terrific the second run at Cheltenham. He then came here (Exeter) and it was very odd. He’s never done anything like it before, He jumped desperately badly to the right and went left-handed at the second last through the wing. I have no explanation for that at all.
"Richard Johnson will school him over fences on Wednesday and we have the Hennessy in mind if it goes right.”
Fingal Bay, who won the Pertemps Final off a mark of 148at Cheltenham in March, is rated 146 over fences.