Itchy Feet and Tamaroc Du Mathan have Old Roan aim
Racing returns to Aintree this coming Sunday (24th October), when the highlight is the Grade Two Monet’s Garden Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase over just short of two and a half miles.
A total of 16 entries were received for the contest today, including the 2020 winner Nuts Well and Allmankind, successful in the Grade One Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown Park last season.
Itchy Feet was third behind Nuts Well a year ago and finished off the season when third over the course and distance behind Fakir D’oudairies in the Grade One Marsh Chase at the Randox Grand National Festival.
The seven year old is owned by Kate and Andrew Brooks and trained by Olly Murphy, who reported: “The plan is to go for the Old Roan with Itchy Feet. He is in good form.
“He had a very good run at Aintree at the back end of last season. He will be going up in trip before long but he ran well in the Old Roan last year so it makes sense to start him off there again.
“I see him being aimed at all the good two and a half mile to three mile chases this season if he keeps on progressing over fences which I can’t see why he won’t.”
Paul Nicholls has three Old Roan victories to his name. The great Kauto Star took the honours in 2006, with Sound Investment scoring in 2015 and Frodon victorious in 2018. This year the 12-times champion Jump trainer is set to rely on Tamaroc Du Mathan, winner of the Grade Two Pendil Novices’ Chase at Kempton Park in February.
Nicholls said: “He won the Pendil Novices’ Chase very nicely last season and then went to Ayr. I thought he would go okay but all mine there ran terribly.
“He is a very nice horse that loves a flat track. He likes to be fresh and I might look at the Old Roan with him at Aintree as that would suit him well. He is not the biggest and might be on the limit of his mark but we will see.”
Full list of entries
3:00 pm Monet’s Garden Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase (Grade 2) 2m 3f 200y
Allmankind 5 Dan Skelton/The Gredley Family/Harry Skelton
Bennys King (IRE) 10 Dan Skelton/Mezzone Family
Coole Cody (IRE) 10 Evan Williams/Mr W. Clifford
Cracking Destiny (IRE) 8 Ewan Whillans/A G Williams/Callum Bewley
Fanion d’Estruval (FR) 6 Venetia Williams Mr David Wilson
Fusil Raffles (FR) 6 Nicky Henderson/Simon Munir & Mr Isaac Souede/Daryl Jacob
Huntsman Son (IRE) 11 Alex Hales/Mrs Wendy Wesley
Itchy Feet (FR) 7 Olly Murphy/Kate & Andrew Brooks/Gavin Sheehan
Killer Clown (IRE) 7 Emma Lavelle/Tim Syder
Midnight Shadow 8 Sue Smith/Mrs Aafke Clarke
Nuts Well 10 Ann Hamilton/Ian Hamilton/Danny McMenamin
Pistol Whipped (IRE) 7 Nicky Henderson/Mr A. Speelman & Mr M. Speelman
Reserve Tank (IRE) 7 Colin Tizzard/The Reserve Tankers
Tamaroc Du Mathan (FR) 6 Paul Nicholls/Mrs Johnny de la Hey
The Big Bite (IRE) 8 Henry Oliver/Mr N T Griffith & H M Haddock
Windsor Avenue (IRE) 9 Brian Ellison/Phil & Julie Martin/Brian Hughes
