Although he might have preferred to take in an alternative race as a warm-up for the Cheltenham Festival, it is looking increasingly likely that the recent cold snap could force the hand of trainer Jonjo O’Neill into running Get Me Out Of here in the Betfair Trophy at Newbury on February 11, writes Elliot Slater.
Jonjo might well have preferred the less ambitious target of a qualifier for the Pertemps Handicap Hurdle at Carlisle a few days earlier, but with the weather forecasters suggesting that the north of England in particular could be in the deep freeze for a while longer the master of Jackdaws Castle looks set to run Get Me Out Of Here in the richly endowed Newbury race, run until this season as the Totesport Trophy.
Eighth in last year’s renewal of two-mile handicap when strongly fancied to land the spoils, the gelded son of Accordion went on to the Cheltenham Festival where he came agonisingly close to winning the Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle, failing by just a nose to peg back Final Approach in one of the outstanding races of the showcase four-day fixture. Anyone looking for a Cheltenham free bet offer will be expecting him to go well again.
A return trip to Cheltenham is top of the agenda with the Coral Cup over two-miles-five-furlongs the expected target for the JP McManus-owned gelding, who last time out at Cheltenham showed that he continues to progress along the right lines with a fine effort in running second to the high-class Oscar Whisky in the Grade 2 Unicoin Homes Relkeel Hurdle, beaten just a length-and-three-quarters.
Get Me Out Of Here, a winner of five of his 13 career starts, is currently one of a number of horse priced up as 14/1 ante-post co-favourites for the Coral Cup, one of the biggest betting races of the meeting and often the subject of major gambles on both British and Irish contenders.