JEREMY Scott has admitted it isn’t cut and dry that Dashel Drasher will run at Ascot on Saturday.
The improving chaser was expected to take on Cyrname in the Ascot Chase – but in a surprising move he could yet head to Newbury on Sunday instead.
The eight-year-old is 3-3 in his career around Ascot, and was an impressive winner of a red-hot handicap at the track last month over the same C&D as the Ascot Chase.
He is 12-1 with Paddy Power for Saturday’s Grade 1 contest – but he is just 10-1 with the same firm for the Denman Chase over three-miles on Sunday.
Scott revealed: “At the moment we are debating what to do. The ground is probably going to be slightly better at Newbury and he will get weight there – but he has been doing his winning around Ascot.
“The downside of the Denman is that it’s a couple of furlongs further and you’ll be worrying it may stretch him, but it’s a flat track so I wouldn’t think there is a massive difference.
“So we are in negotiations with ourselves at the moment.”
Whichever route Dashel Drasher takes, he will be taking on Grade 1 opposition, with the likes of Clan Des Obeaux and Lostintranslation likely to run at Newbury.
Scott added: “Whichever way we go he will be up against better class horses and we will get a handle on his true ability.”
The Grade 1-winning trainer admitted the £100k Ascot Chase is a very tempting option, given that Cyrname has lost his air of invincibility over the past 12 months.
He said: “Cyrname fell in the Ascot Chase last year and he has been a bit in and out, for all he was impressive at Wetherby in the Charlie Hall earlier in the season.
“Strictly on ratings we would have a lot to find – but he has question marks about him.”
Scott continued: “Dashel Drasher has been great fun to train. He goes about his business in a spectacular way. He looks as if he is going to be collared but then he finds more and manages to hang on.
“I hope he is a Grade 1 horse. It is exciting to have a horse of his ability who is able to compete at that level, wherever we decide to go.”
The yard’s exciting hurdler Sizeable Sam is also set to strut his stuff this weekend, with Newbury his likeliest landing spot despite entries at Haydock and Wincanton.
He made it back-to-back wins at Wincanton last time out and he is a horse Scott rates highly.
He said: “Sizeable Sam would be suited to a track like Newbury, he is a big galloping horse and it would play to his strengths.
“The ground will likely be very testing at Haydock and Wincanton are fearful that the ground will be testing as well.
“He will be going up in trip but he has always looked like he wants a proper test of stamina, and we don’t want to run him on deep ground.
“He’s in good form, we schooled him this morning and he was given the hurdles on our circular gallop plenty of air, probably three times higher than he needed to. He will be a very exciting prospect over fences.”
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