Bookmaker Reviews & Sports News

Archive for July 7th, 2010

Jeremy Noseda has warned Rebel Soldier is not a certain runner in the valuable John Smith’s Cup at York on Saturday.

The lightly-raced three-year-old is favourite in most ante-post lists thanks to a convincing success over the course and distance last month, but the Newmarket trainer rates his prospects of taking part as no better than 50-50.

“There are various reasons and I’d like to say to anyone please don’t at this stage put anything on him. It’s 50-50 at very best,” Noseda told At The Races.

“My concerns are he is a horse I feel potentially has a big future and we are only just going out on the road to where he could end up.

“To run in this race is, for an inexperienced, quite immature three-year-old taking on those good, hard-knocking handicappers, a big transition. I’m not sure if he’s quite mentally ready.

“There are other issues in my mind. There’s the ground. I don’t know if I want to run him on very quick ground, of which there is a likelihood it could be. He’s a big horse.

“And also at this point I don’t believe I can secure a jockey of the calibre I would like to ride him. That might sound very critical, but it’s just how I feel.”

He went on: “The ‘Magnet Cup’ is a great race and the purse is huge. If it were a £50,000 race I may not have even entered him, or I would be saying he was a non-runner now. There is an attraction to the race, but there are other things involved.

“Unless something changes – ground, jockey availability – it is looking less likely. I will have a chat to Fiona Shaw and Earle Mack (owner). We will talk it through.”

Ed Dunlop reports that Fareer is more likely to head for a Listed race at Chester on Saturday rather than take his chance at York.