The Christian Williams trained Potters Corner will head to the Cheltenham festival in March and use the run in the Cross-Country Chase as a prep run ahead of his main target of the Grand National at Aintree.
The gelding has been a superb yardstick for the Welsh yard after landing the Welsh National last year and since then saved for this term, with his comeback run at Cheltenham being one to take note of, finishing a staying on third in the Cross Country Chase at the Cheltenham November meeting.
Last time out he was sent to Warwick In a Pertemps Handicap Qualifier and it looked as though it was a race to get him ready for the Cheltenham festival, with him finishing seventh of 13 and getting a nice blow over a staying trip.
(Credit ATR) “Warwick would be a sharp-enough track for him, and he’s got a career-high mark over hurdles and is an 11-year-old, so he probably had it all to do,” said the Bridgend trainer.
The @Coral Welsh Grand National goes to Wales! Potters Corner puts up a brave performance to win the feature event for @CWilliamsRacing and @jacktudor9 at @Chepstow_Racing pic.twitter.com/nAfnyeQljm
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) December 27, 2019
“We were very pleased. He ran well until turning in. It was a nice positive run.
“He’ll go straight to the cross-country race at Cheltenham, I’d have thought.
“That will be his prep for the National.”
Christian Williams is looking forward to seeing what his star horse can do at the Cheltenham festival this year and is hoping that he will run a cracker and put him in strong form heading into the Grand National.
Having previously landed the Welsh National last year, Williams did not head back to Chepstow this season in search of a second win in a race, in an attempt to keep the horse fresh for Aintree.