'He looks to have a very bright future' - which horse does Warren Greatrex have Cheltenham Festival aspirations for?

Warren Greatrex believes Quantock Hills is a star in the making and has high hopes of a potential crack at the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The three-year-old shared a dead-heat victory with Teriferma in the Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle at Prestbury Park on Saturday, taking his record to two wins from three runs since joining the Lambourn trainer from France, where he also registered one win in two starts.

The €130,000 purchase, owned by Jim and Claire Bryce, was introduced at 33-1 with most firms for the JCB Triumph Hurdle on March 14, but Greatrex is favouring another race three days earlier at Cheltenham. 

He said: "I'd say it'd be more the Boodles than the Triumph, but we'll see. He'll have another race before, which I'm yet to decide on, but he's less exposed than some because he's learning all the time. 

"I was looking at the Finale Hurdle at Chepstow [December 27], but I doubt we'll do that now as it's too close to last week. He's won three now, so I'll see how he gets over this and make a plan."

James Bowen, who partnered Quantock Hills, shared the spoils with the Jack Jones-trained Teriferma, ridden by his brother Sean. 

A photo-finish determined the finishing positions, which had Greatrex holding his breath as Quantock Hills was chased down on the line by his rival.

He said: "For me, he was the best horse in the race. It's that typical thing of being a young horse, who hadn't run on the Flat. He hit the hill and started looking at the crowd.

"He went through the race like a very good horse. It was that run in after the last – it's a long way – and I think he got a bit lonely and they all came up the stands' rail. I thought when he went over the line he'd won, but when I saw the replay I thought he was beaten. It would've been unfair for him to get beat as he was the best horse in the race."

Missed Approach was Greatrex's last festival success in the Kim Muir Challenge Cup in 2018, but he hopes Quantock Hills can lead his improving squad back to the biggest stage.

"He looks to have a very bright future," added Greatrex. "He's a big horse, so he'll get stronger, and he handled a bit of soft ground – he's going to be a chaser in time. Thankfully, there's plenty coming through and it's good to be there on the big days and be competitive."

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