Snowden eager to embark on chasing campaign with Wendigo

Jamie Snowden has high hopes for Wendigo over fences this season, as he prepares for a potential chasing debut in the Tom Malone Bloodstock Novices’ Chase at Chepstow on Sunday, the third and final day of the Dragonbet Welsh Racing Festival.

The six-year-old won a valuable introductory hurdle at Ludlow, before finding only current Champion Hurdle favourite The New Lion too good in the Grade One Challow Hurdle at Newbury.

A further win at Wetherby followed, after which he was badly hampered before staying on well to finish fifth when last seen in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival.

Attention now turns to the larger obstacles and Snowden said: “He’s entered (at Chepstow), but obviously it all depends what the weather does and what the ground does. He’s a very exciting horse to look forward to over fences this season.

“He ran very well in the Albert Bartlett. He was pretty unlucky in running I suppose, almost got brought down at the second-last so did very well in the circumstances. It’s a shame he didn’t have a clear run.

“He had a great season and won a couple of novice hurdles, second in the Grade One at Newbury and he always been a horse that we thought would be a properly nice chaser, so there’s an exciting season ahead, hopefully.

“It depends how he progresses, but you’d like to hope he’d turn out to be a graded three-mile novice chaser.”

His stablemate Laurens Bay is another in the Snowden team stepping into the chasing division after an impressive season last term highlighted by victory at Sandown in March.

Snowden added: “He won the EBF Final, which is a big race in its own right, and he’s another one that we’re very much looking forward to seeing over a fence.

“I’d have thought we’ll probably start him out in the next week or so depending on the ground, but he’s ready to get going.”

However, Julius Des Pictons, who Snowden saw land the biggest victory of his career in the Grade One Sefton Hurdle, will have to wait before tackling fences.

Julius Des Pictons picked up an injury when securing what was the trainer’s first Grade One at Aintree and will not see a racecourse before the new year at the earliest, with connections biding their time with him.

Snowden said: “He picked up an injury that day so he’s just been on the off-game since, so whether we get him back out for the new year or give him time remains to be seen.

“We’ll keep options open (whether he stays hurdling or goes chasing), but he’s another exciting horse. It might end up the following season that we go chasing.”