Triumph Hurdle favourite Grumeti is none the worse after his fall at Newbury on Wednesday.
Alan King’s juvenile looked set to extend his unbeaten record to two over timber, but he took a soft fall after jumping the second-last flight.
He appeared likely to give two smart recruits off the Flat both a penalty and a beating, which prompted a positive reaction from the bookmakers.
King had hoped to win and then head for the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton, the race last year’s Triumph winner Zarkandar used as a stepping stone, but the Barbury Castle handler would like to get a run into his charge before then.
“He appears fine this morning, he ate up last night and has had a walk out this morning,” King said on Thursday.
“We’ll have the physio check him over but he looks fine.
“These things happen in racing. He’d done everything right until then, he was in total command and had jumped very neatly.
“He just met that flight a bit long, clipped the top and came down after it.
“We’ll just see what we do now as in my mind I thought we’d win yesterday and then go to the Adonis at Kempton. I don’t want to wait that long before running him again as it’s not until the end of February.
“I’ll just see what’s about. He’ll be in no danger of being balloted out so he could run anywhere.
“I wouldn’t be afraid of running him in an all-aged novice hurdle even.”
PA AAP TURF
