Hanlon favouring Charlie Hall test for Hewick

Shark Hanlon is “95 per cent sure” Hewick will head to Wetherby on Saturday for the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase.

The bet365 Gold Cup, American Grand National, Galway Plate and King George VI Chase hero made a triumphant return to action over hurdles at Thurles earlier this month, when ridden by the trainer’s son Paddy Hanlon, and is set to return to the larger obstacles this weekend.

Hewick is also entered in the Grade One BetVictor Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday, a race in which he finished a close second last season, but the prospect of drier ground in West Yorkshire means Hanlon is currently favouring a trip across the Irish Sea.

“It’s not set in stone yet, but I’m 95 per cent sure we’ll go to the Charlie Hall,” he said.

“There’s rain coming into Down Royal and they’ve been watering for the last two weeks. We could end up with yielding to soft ground and if that happened we’d definitely go the other way.

“The other day in Thurles he was very good and Paddy was good on him. We haven’t decided who will ride him this weekend yet, maybe just going back over fences we might put Gavin (Sheehan) back on him, we’ll see.

“It’s a good chance for him to win another nice pot on Saturday. There’s a few good horses in the Down Royal race and a few good horses in Wetherby, but isn’t he entitled to take his chance no matter where we go?”

Hewick finished a creditable eighth in the Grand National last season and while another crack at the world’s most famous steeplechase is not being ruled out, his trainer is eyeing up another major prize in the spring.

Hanlon added: “Down the road I’d be thinking of the Stayers’ Hurdle – I think he could be a right horse for a Stayers’ Hurdle this year.”

Hewick was one of 10 horses entered for the Charlie Hall Chase on Monday, with Gordon Elliott’s pair of Croke Park and Stellar Story the two other Irish-trained contenders.

The home team includes Patrick Neville’s defending champion The Real Whacker, Dan Skelton’s triple Grade One winner Protektorat and Pic D’orhy, who could bid to provide Paul Nicholls with his sixth victory in the race following the previous successes of See More Business (1999 and 2000), Silviniaco Conti (2011), Cyrname (2020) and Bravemansgame (2022).

Djelo (Venetia Williams), Ga Law (Jamie Snowden), Hang In There (Emma Lavelle) and Sam Brown (Anthony Honeyball) are the other hopefuls.