Shark Hanlon’s stable star Hewick is set to make his seasonal debut over hurdles at Thurles on Thursday, with his Muine Bheag based handler eying some big targets this season.
The pint sized 10-year-old already counts a Galway Plate, King George and American Grand National on his glittering CV, and Hanlon is confident he could plunder another big prize this season.
Set to be ridden by Hanlon’s son Paddy, Hewick will face just two rivals, Charles Bryne’s Run For Oscar who has eyecacthing form on the flat and John McConnell’s Moon D’Orange, who scored over fences on Cheltenham Trials Day last season.
But as Hewick kicks off his campaign over hurdles, Hanlon is confident that the horse is fit enough to do himself justice. Speaking exclusively to his stable partner, BOYLE Sports, he said:
“We’re hoping to give Hewick a nice experience on his first run back, he’s worked plenty, he’s ready to go and in great form. I’m delighted Paddy is on board, he knows the horse better than anyone else and we’re looking forward to seeing the horse back on the racetrack.
“We have a lot of options this year, there’s a chance that he could go to the Charlie Hall or Down Royal for the Champion Chase, and we’ve been looking at the King George too. He’s as good as he ever was and he was unlucky not to get a Grade 1 on the board last season. We’re excited to take on the big races again, and I’m confident he can be competitive in them”