With the Cheltenham Festival barely two weeks away, Venetia Williams admits she is “concerned” that a virus at her Herefordshire yard could jeopardise her plans.
The Grand National-winning trainer has some serious cards to play, including L’Homme Presse, who holds entries in both the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and the Turners Novices’ Chase, and Funambule Sivola, who is in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Williams revealed her worries on social media last week, posting an image of Grade One winner L’Homme Presse with the caption: ‘L’Homme Presse preparing for Cheltenham, and hoping to steer clear of the run of dirty noses streaming through the yard’.
She said on Monday: “With L’Homme Presse and Funambule Sivola, the jury’s out.”
Asked if that pair had been scoped, she added: “If I could give you the answers to everything, it would be easy.But for sure we are concerned. This started about a couple of weeks ago, I suppose.”
The yard was in flying form with five winners in two days up between February 15 and 17, yet concerns about the health of some of her string have been underlined with one winner form her last 20 in the last nine days.
“We won’t shut down, definitely not,” said Williams.“We are trying to run those that are healthy, but you have probably seen that we have had five non-runners recently. We have to declare 48 hours before. We will just try to be careful to run those that are all right.”
Andy Edwards, owner of L’Homme Presse, says his horse seems OK at present.
“He is fine. I have just left him,” he said. “I’ve been out in the field with him this morning and given him some carrots.They are all worried about it, but it will be what will be will be. I just told them to relax. They are doing their best and there is no point in worrying about it.
“My belief system is that while it may not be what we want, everything is as it should be. If he doesn’t make it, he wasn’t supposed to. So, I won’t worry about it. I haven’t even seen Venetia this morning, I’ve just seen the horses. There is nothing to talk about, really. We know we will make a late decision on which race he runs in – it will be a weather-watch, but I’m not even watching the weather. It will be what it will be.
“If the meeting starts good to soft, you have no chance for Thursday or Friday of soft ground in the going description. But it really isn’t anything to worry about in the realm of what is going on in the world.”