Venetia Williams had an outstanding season last time round. The Herefordshire-based trainer amassed over £1.5 million in prize money. This haul included the Ladbrokes Trophy, two Cheltenham Festival wins and a valuable handicap hurdle at Sandown. It seems as if her yard has a higher calibre of horses at the moment. That being the case, it could be another massive year for her. Her two Cheltenham festival heroes from last season have some big plans for the current campaign. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Chambard reaped the rewards of having a breathing operation before the start of last season. The ten-year-old gelding was the model of consistency winning four times and finishing second twice in his six starts. This culminated in a well-deserved victory in the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham festival. Venetia Williams has lofty plans for him this time round as she stated: “The season before last, Cloudy Glen was second in the Kim Muir and then on his next run he won the Hennessy [Coral Gold Cup]. Chambard won the Kim Muir, so obviously we’ll have to look at the same race.” Despite his new rating of 141, there could be more to come over these longer trips.
L’Homme Presse is being aimed at the Gold Cup this year after winning the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham. Williams said: “He’s a lovely jumper and very intelligent, so hopefully that will stand up outside of novice company.” There are no solid plans for where he’ll start off this season but he’s flexible with regards to trip. This two-time Grade 1 winner could be in for a massive season and is certainly one to watch out for.
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