George is chasing Wetherby double

Tom George’s horse will attempt to become the first chaser to win successive renewals of Wetherby’s richest race since See More Business prevailed in 1999 and 2000.

With 2010 Gold Cup hero Imperial Commander out for the season, and time shortly to be called on the careers of the iconic Kauto Star and Denman, three-mile steeplechasing is bereft of top names to pose a serious challenge over three miles to the reigning champion Long Run.

However, George has warned that Nacarat may bypass Kempton’s King George Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup if it means preserving the 10-year-old for the Grade One Totesport Bowl that he won at Aintree in April.

“Nacarat’s early-season target is the Charlie Hall Chase, which he won last year. His other main target for the season is going to be the Totesport Bowl at Aintree,” said George.

“We will be picking other races as they come as last season it became even clearer to us how much he prefers the better ground, even though he bravely copes with soft conditions.”

Diamond Harry, last year’s Hennessy hero who has been sidelined with injury, could also reappear in the Charlie Hall as trainer Nick Williams looks to cement his new partnership with North Yorkshire jockey James Reveley.

As National Hunt racing resumes after a 10-day break, Flat racing is preparing for the inaugural Qipco Champions Day at Ascot where Yorkshire-born trainer William Haggas could have a strong hand.

It comes after Green Destiny – the winner of two races at York – franked this form when pouncing late under Kieren Fallon to land Newbury’s Dubai Duty Free Arc Trial.

Not many of racing’s star names had been confirmed for the Qipco Champion Stakes because of its proximity to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting on October 1 and 2, but Haggas is prepared to take a chance with the winner of York’s Strensall Stakes and John Smith’s Cup.

“He won’t be going for the Arc,” said Haggas who will also run Oaks heroine Dancing Rain at the meeting. “He’ll probably have a dart at the Champion Stakes now.

“My view was that if he could carry a penalty in this race against good horses, he’d be doing well, and we missed the Prix Dollar to give him plenty of time. This is a good horse.”

Meanwhile, there was a poignant sub-plot to Our Jonathan’s emphatic victory in the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup for Hambleton trainer Kevin Ryan.

Owner Dr Marwan Koukash, won the six-furlong sprint with Redford 12 months ago, named the horse in honour of a relative’s 15-year-old son who collapsed and died while playing football.

The victory also provided some compensation for veteran Liverpudlian jockey Franny Norton, a one-time amateur boxer before opting to pursue a riding career.

“I’ve been on two horses in the past that I’ve been meant to ride and they have gone on to win, so this is great,” said Norton after Our Jonathan had prevailed impressively at odds of 11-1.

“I was supposed to ride Redford last year, and Bahamian Pirate a few years ago (2000), so I am not winning it out of turn.

“Marwan has brought a bit of life back into the game, he has got 80 horses in training and it is incredible what he is doing. This horse is special to Marwan. We are both from Liverpool, so it is a great day.

“I was messed about a bit in the race, a horse at the side of me kept poking out, but we went to the leaders and I had a look across the course to try and see if those on the other side were in front, and then I let him off at the furlong marker and he went and did his job.”

The big disappointment in the race was Pepper Lane, the winner of Ripon’s Great St Wilfrid, but North Yorkshire trainer David O’Meara believes the soft ground was to blame for his charge finishing a remote 22nd out of the 26 runners.

Meanwhile Rotherham-born jockey Dale Swift, who shot to prominence by winning the Ebor on Brian Ellison’s Moyenne Corniche, landed the Ayr Silver Cup on Cheveton.