Alan King Unsure Over Walkon for Totesport Trophy
- By A.J. Ryder on February 9, 2011 17:36 GMT
A real who’s-who of the National Hunt hurdling contenders will be tackling the Grade 3 Totesport Trophy at Newbury this Saturday and, with so much talent on display, Alan King is making absolutely sure that his highly-rated hurdler Walkon enters the race in cracking form.
The popular grey just missed last time out on a seasonal debut at Ascot in the Grade 2 Holloway’s Hurdle. The six year-old son of Take Risks had been laid off sicne April of 2009 after he conquered the Matalan 4-Y-O hurdle at Aintree after finishing second to the respected Zaynar in the JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
A thorough workout on Thursday morning will likely determine whether Alan King’s precocious jumper gets the go-ahead to join stablemates Salden Licht, Lolith and The Betchworth Kid.
Speaking to At The Races, King declared “I’m happy enough with the horse, but I still think I could have done with another week. I want to run the horse, but I want to make sure he’s in top form before we commit him.”
The early indication is that either Wayne Hutchinson or Robert Thornton will take the mount should he line up for Saturday’s hurdling showpiece.
As it currently stands, Nicky Henderon’s French jumper Solix has been bet down as low as 6/1 – placing him just ahead of Salden Licht at 7/1 and Get Me Out Of Here at 8/1.
