Harrington to run Space Trucker in Britain

Space Trucker, the Irish-trained Champion Hurdle third who unseated Jamie Osborne on his chasing debut at Cheltenham earlier this month, returns to action in Britain tomorrow.

Trainer Jessica Harrington has a choice of novice chases at either Haydock or Warwick for the six-year-old and will make a decision, based on the ground, this morning.

Mrs Harrington, who trains at Moone, Co Kildare, said: "The horse is booked to go over at 11.00 tomorrow morning so the decision will be made between 8.00 and 9.00.

"Haydock is a bit easier to get to for us but we will decide when we know what the ground is. He's running in England because the ground over here is so soft. We're swimming! He needs good ground."

Space Trucker's first venture over fences ended when he blundered four from home when favourite for the Grade Two Mitsubishi Shogun November Novices' Chase.

The mishap left Osborne with a wrist injury which threatens to keep him on the sidelines until the New Year.

"I was talking to Jamie this morning and he said the horse had jumped super until then. It was just one of those things," commented Mrs Harrington.

Meanwhile, Martin Pipe was yesterday left teetering on the brink of his fastest century following an across the card double with Farfadet V up at Uttoxeter and Circle of Magic's victory at Taunton.

The Champion trainer is now on the 99-winner mark and is all set to smash his own record for the fastest ton which he completed on December 13th last year.

Circle of Magic was given a patient ride by Tony McCoy before pouncing at the final flight of the Maple Juvenile Novices' Hurdle to beat Digital Option by three and a half lengths.

"She's a bit of a madam who has got her own ideas about the game and made hard work of it in the end," reported Pipe.

However, Pipe is very hopeful he will get his century for the season today with the highly-regarded Rainwatch, who makes his hurdles debut in the opener at Newbury.

Northern-based jockey Ollie Pears made the four and a half hour journey down to the West Country pay dividends when Frontier Flight had little difficulty in beating The Minder by three lengths in the Walnut Handicap Hurdle. The win proved a Taunton first for Pears and Tadcaster trainer Lynn Siddall.

Jefferies made it three course victories from the three attempts at the Somerset circuit when scoring on his fencing debut in the Mendip Plywood Novices' Chase.

Carl Llewellyn (who completed a double on Equity Player) brought Jim Old's eight-year-old with a winning run from three fences out and the pair stayed on tenaciously to hold off Sounds Like Fun by two lengths.