OLLY Murphy admits it would be great if Resplendent Grey could help him get the William Hill Half A Mill Classic Handicap Chase ‘on his CV’ at Warwick on Saturday (January 10), writes Graham Clark.
The Grade One-winning handler, who trains just 10 miles from the track in nearby Wilmcote, insists that the £100,000 feature, which has attracted 16 entries, is under consideration for the progressive eight-year-old. He is a 7-1 chance for glory on Saturday with William Hill.
After signing off last season with a game success in the bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Sandown Park, the Walk In The Park gelding made a triumphant return to action with victory in the Listed Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at Carlisle in November.
However, things failed to go to plan for Resplendent Grey last time out in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury where he finished a well-held 11th after being put on the backfoot soon after the tapes went up.
But after reporting Resplendent Grey to be in good shape, Murphy, who has also entered Gold Clermont in the extended three-miles-and-five-furlongs test, expects to see a much bolder show on this occasion, should he take up the engagement.
Murphy said: “The Classic Chase is certainly an option for Resplendent Grey, but I don’t know where is going to be racing at the weekend with the weather.
“He came out of Newbury well and he will stay the trip fine. He will have a nice weight if L’Homme Presse runs.
“He was beaten after he jumped the first fence in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury as he missed the break and it was game over from there.
“Sean (Bowen) has minded from there on in and we will look forward to hopefully having a better start if we run here on Saturday.
“There were a few different options on the table for him. If L’Homme Presse runs he will keep a lot of horses out of the weights and it looks like it could be a nice target for him if he runs.
“It would be great to get on the CV as Warwick is only ten miles down the road for me and it is worth a lot of money.”
Should Resplendent Grey run, and win, it would put him in line for a £500,000 bonus put up by race sponsor William Hill if he was to then go and triumph in the Randox Grand National at Aintree on April 11th.
But while Murphy is confident Resplendent Grey still has plenty more to offer, talk of a tilt over the famous Aintree fences is for another day.
He added: “He obviously won a Colin Parker first time out very impressively and he then went to Newbury and missed the break, so he had an excuse for that run. I don’t see any reason why he can’t still have a productive season.
“He is a horse that still looks unexposed over these staying trips, and we will look forward to running him wherever he goes next before making plans for the spring.”
As for Gold Clermont, who finished fourth in the Bruce Farms Scottish Borders National at Kelso last time out, her participation looks less likely at this stage.
Murphy added: “If L’Homme Presse runs she would be too far out of the handicap and I would say that Resplendent Grey would not have to run either for her to get into the race as she would be so far out of the weights.”
Elsewhere on the card Murphy could give Wade Out the chance to back up his Listed success in the Sun’s “Save Our Bets” Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham last time out in the Grade Two Hampton Novices’ Chase.
Murphy said: “Wade Out is entered at Warwick, but he is also in at Wetherby on the same day and at Kelso on Sunday.
“I just need to see what the weather will do and make a plan, but he is in good form and he is ready to run and get some more experience before the Cheltenham Festival.
“Off 145 he is now at the ceiling of the weights in the National Hunt Chase so we might have to mind what we do and go from there.
“He didn’t look like a likely winner of his last race at Cheltenham at halfway, but he stays very well and that is his forte.”
And should Murphy hit the jackpot with Resplendent Grey and Wade Out, if deciding to run them at the weekend, it would help bolster his position in second behind Dan Skelton in this year’s Jump Trainers’ Championship.
He added: “Dan is away and gone. Paul (Nicholls) and Nicky (Henderson) are getting rocking and rolling now and Ben Pauling is having a fantastic season as well. You need to be winning these big prizes and hopefully we can stay in that top five.
“For me to be second in the trainers’ championship going into the new year is fantastic. It shows how my place has evolved over the last three or four years and I’m very proud of that.”
