“I’m very relaxed and don’t give in to pressure” – Clerk Weatherby will water Charlie Hall’s card only if the course calls for it

Wetherby field manager Jonjo Sanderson will consider watering the field ahead of Saturday’s Charlie Hall Chase, but only to get him in top condition and not in response to pressure from trainers.

On Wednesday, Sanderson changed the current description to good, good to soft in places – from good to soft, good in places – and with a drying forecast, admitted he may have to put 5mm on the main straight.

On Tuesday, Dan Skelton offered many of his recordings over two days, including Charlie Hall’s favorite Gray Dawn, would need to be redirected elsewhere “taking into account the forecast”.

Sanderson confirmed that he would not water to ensure a more suitable soil. He said: “We are good, sometimes good to soft, good to soft, sometimes good. This is largely a matter of semantics, but given the dry forecast for the next ten days, I thought it was a fairer reflection of what Friday morning would be like before today’s announcements.

“Watering is on my mind, but I’m still glad we don’t have to do it just yet. If we did, it would only be from the start of the two miles for a couple of furlongs on the straight, and what we would put on would be minimal – 5mm or so. My club is still going six inches in that part of the course, so it’s not too early, we’ll water, but if the wind picks up and it dries out, we can.”

Sanderson added: “I’m very relaxed and I don’t give in to pressure. I understand that it can be more difficult for someone younger at the beginning of their career, but I know that you can’t always please everyone, that’s a fact of life.

“I would never water because coach A wanted it, because there’s always coach B who doesn’t want it. I would pour water on the field to keep it in the best condition.

“Having water now in the fall, like a winter jump course, can absolutely have consequences in the winter, and that’s a factor as well. We’re not talking about 5mm here and there, but if you put 20mm in the fall, which we’ve had to do in the past, the ground can really send out distress signals in January.”

Hold on (right): His trainer Emma Lavelle would enjoy a sound surface for Charlie Hallcredit: Alan Crowhurst

One trainer who would suit the ‘B’ category is Emma Lavelle, whose ten-year-old Hang In There has had fun on firmer surfaces over the summer months.

“We wouldn’t be interested in running in Wetherby if it was soft,” she said. “He’s been dropping weights around all summer, giving weight to everything else, so we thought he deserved a chance at a race like this.” He’s currently at 159, which is probably an inflated summer mark, but he deserves to take his chance because he’s an absolute star and loves his job.

“We are not sure that he really remains three miles away; he competed in the Summer Cup, but this is a different caliber of race. Let’s hope it works out as he’s fit and firing after a summer on the move. We want it to be a really good pitch and then it will have a break until next spring. We can have a crack at a few of the top races, that will give us an idea of ​​how high we have to aim.”

Read more. . .

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Gerri Colombe and Brighterdaysahead have Wetherby’s backup plan in case conditions are too fast at Down Royal

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