La Bague Au Roi heading to Cheltenham

Warren Greatrex is eyeing a trip to Cheltenham later this month for his star mare La Bague Au Roi.

Warren Greatrex is eyeing a trip to Cheltenham later this month for his star mare La Bague Au Roi.

The six-year-old claimed her ninth win from just 12 starts when seeing off Irish raider Jer's Girl in a Listed event at Kempton recently and is the apple of her trainer's eye.

She could only finish seventh on her only previous appearance at Cheltenham in the Trull House Stud Mares' Novices' Hurdle at last season's Festival, but Greatrex is considering an imminent return to Prestbury Park.

He said: "There is a possibility that she might go to Cheltenham a week on Saturday for a two-and-a-half-mile handicap hurdle. They put her up 5lb after winning at Kempton and she is now off 149, which makes her one one of the highest-rated mares trained both sides of the Irish Sea.

"She would have to carry a lot of weight (at Cheltenham), but a lot would probably come into the race out of the weights. There is also the Grade Two at Ascot after Christmas.

"She seems to be taking her races better than last season. Not many mares have won the amount of Listed races she has won and they don't get much better CVs than hers .

"The only thing missing is doing it in a graded race, but I'm confident that will come."

The Lambourn-based trainer also provided an update on his high-class chaser Aloomomo.

The seven-year-old has run twice over hurdles since returning from nearly a year on the sidelines, finishing third at Carlisle before filling the runner-up spot at Southwell on Tuesday.

Greatrex added: "I think we will go for the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby. I won it two years ago with Dolatulo and it could just fit in nicely for this fellow.

"He has had two runs over hurdles and it is shame we had not had more rain the other day as I think it would have been a different story.

"It is nice to have had those two hurdle runs to get him back on track. That should put him in good shape for the rest of the season .

"The Rowland Meyrick is a good pot and it sometimes can get overlooked."