Eager Gibbons hoofs it to Haydock

Mick Easterby’s speedster is enjoying a hugely successful campaign, winning a couple of valuable handicaps at York before producing a breathtaking display under top-weight when landing the Stewards’ Cup at Glorious Goodwood.

The four-year-old returned to the Knavesmire as favourite for the Nunthorpe but, after a tardy start, he and regular partner Kieren Fallon came home a slightly disappointing sixth.

With Fallon required at Ascot to ride for his retaining trainer Luca Cumani, Gibbons, who guided Hoof It to three victories in 2010, will be back in the saddle on Merseyside.

Easterby said: “Kieren is going to Ascot, so Graham is going to ride Hoof It. It shouldn’t be a problem and Graham is going to ride the horse in work on Tuesday morning. I think the horse should be better back over six [furlongs] and hopefully we get some drying weather.”

Gibbons is understandably delighted to have got the call, and is fully anticipating a big run. He said: “I’ve won on him a few times before, and I think that had a bearing on it – obviously I am delighted to get back on him.

“The boss rang me first thing to see if I would be able to ride, and of course I said yes. It would be brilliant for me if he could go and win a Group 1.

“Things didn’t go right for him at York and the step back up to six can only help. The ground at York was debatable. He is ideally suited by good ground, but he is by Monsieur Bond and he loved it like a bog. He has yet to run on soft ground, so if it did end up like that it would be an unknown.”

Adding further colour to the Hoof It story is the fact he is part-owned by one of the world’s top golfers, Lee Westwood, and his genial agent Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler. Having already supplemented for the Nunthorpe, connections have stumped up another £13,000 to add him to this weekend’s contest.

The two possible Irish challengers are Edward Lynam’s Sole Power and Bewitched from the Charles O’Brien stable, while the James Fanshawe-trained speedballs Deacon Blues and Society Rock also feature among the 17 possible runners, with the former set to test his powers at Group 1 level for the first time following a seven-length demolition of his rivals in Ireland last time.

Meanwhile, Brian Meehan won his second Ripon Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy in three years when Gerfalcon came home strongly in the Listed feature at yesterday’s Bank Holiday meeting.

Having raced keen early on he was outpaced by halfway and was possibly unsuited by the undulations of the track. Saeed bin Suroor’s previously unbeaten Gold City travelled sweetly to take up the running, but when Martin Dwyer got down to business the 4-1 joint-favourite responded in kind to win by half a length.”