Pipe unsure over Adagio’s Cheltenham prep
Trainer David Pipe says he has yet to decide whether Adagio will have another run before the upcoming Cheltenham Festival.
The German-bred youngster has triumphed on three of his four starts since arriving in Britain last year, following up a victory at Cheltenham in December with a Grade One success in the Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow earlier this month.
A return to Cheltenham had been on the cards on Saturday, but Pipe opted against running the four-year-old in the JCB Triumph Hurdle Trial as conditions were deemed too testing, with that decision being vindicated after waterlogging meant the meeting was ultimately abandoned.
Pipe is now weighing up his options for Adagio ahead of Cheltenham, with the Pond House trainer admitting the gelding may not run at all before the Festival in March.
“It’s possible he’ll have one more run before the Festival. We just felt the ground would be too wet for him on Saturday and decided to give it a miss,” Pipe was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“There’s the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Musselburgh (next weekend), and there’s also a race at Exeter he could run in. They are the only two options for him really – otherwise, we could just give him a racecourse gallop and go straight to Cheltenham in March.”
Adagio is expected to be a horse to watch at Cheltenham as he is considered one of the leading contenders for the Triumph Hurdle at Prestbury Park on March 19.
