Can Sporting John make up for lost time on his return from a 287-day absence?

Saturday: 3.00 Wetherby
bet365 Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered As The West Yorkshire Hurdle) | 3m | 4yo+ | ITV/RTV

There aren't many Grade 1 chase winners who can genuinely be considered better hurdlers, but that is the case with Sporting John, who won two of his three starts hurdling last season.

Sporting John is now rated 154 by the BHA over hurdles and that is 3lb higher than his chase mark of 151, despite him having landed the Scilly Isles over fences at Sandown as a novice.

There were many who thought Sporting John would be a strong contender for the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham in March after he added a Pertemps qualifier at Warwick in January to his previous win in a Listed race at Cheltenham in November, but he didn't get to the big one.

A training setback scuppered his Cheltenham bid, but he returns from 287 days off the track aiming to make up for lost time. If he can carry a 4lb penalty to victory here, he would underline his Stayers' claims for Philip Hobbs, who won this in 2002, 2009 and 2010.

The trainers who have saddled the last two winners are back for more, including Paul Webber, who won last year's race with Indefatigable. She has to carry a 6lb penalty.

She hasn't scored since, but proved she is still capable of high-class hurdles form when a close second in a Grade 2 at Sandown in April and appears to have been trained for this race. She had a prep run on the Flat when fifth at Pontefract 12 days ago.

Dan Skelton won the race two years ago with another mare, Roksana, but this time he is represented by Proschema, who finished second to Indefatigable in this last season.

Turn the clock back 12 months and Proschema was only two and three-quarter lengths behind the mare when conceding her 7lb. Now just 1lb separates them and, purely on weights and measures, Proschema should be capable of reversing the places on these terms.

Threeunderthrufive went on a winning spree over fences last season, but wound up finishing a long way behind L'Homme Presse in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham and is now back to hurdles. It seems a good starting point for the season before an inevitable return to chasing.

The other two runners, Thomas Darby and Oscar Elite, both come in after wind surgery. Olly Murphy has a 19 per cent strike-rate with runners after the op and a £1 bet on each would have yielded a tidy profit of £11.81. Maybe Thomas Darby will be another to improve for it.
Race analysis by Graeme Rodway

Indefatigable 'spot on' for repeat bid

Last year's winner Indefatigable aims to extend the good recent record of mares in this race as she takes on a field containing a pair of rivals she beat 12 months ago.

The Paul Webber-trained nine-year-old became the third mare in five years to land the West Yorkshire Hurdle when favourite Paisley Park was only third.

Indefatigable winning last year's West Yorkshire Hurdle at WetherbyCredit: Edward Whitaker

Proschema and Thomas Darby, second and fourth that day, return for another crack at Indefatigable, who is on worse terms carrying a 6lb penalty.

Indefatigable has followed the same unorthodox route as last year by running at Pontefract in the build-up, and Webber is happy with her preparations.

"She seems in very good order and I'm hoping they don't get too much rain," he said. "She ran at Pontefract the other day to put her spot on and I hope she's in as good a form as last year.

"The three miles is probably quite important to her now and if things go well, we'll probably try and stick to that trip."

What they say

Joe Tizzard, trainer of Oscar Elite
We toyed with running him in a novice chase on Friday and this is a prep for the Coral Gold Cup next month. He was second in the Albert Bartlett over hurdles and we came back to hurdles with Native River here before Newbury a few years ago. It's a stepping stone to that target and we want to give him a nice confidence-boost.

Dan Skelton, trainer of Proschema
He was second in the race last year and has followed exactly the same route this time. He comes here after a run at Chepstow again and he's got to have a squeak.
Reporting by Andrew Dietz

Saturday's race previews:

1.30 Ascot: 'We watched him school and he was electric' - Goshen camp confident

2.25 Wetherby: will talent over readiness prevail in the Listed Mares' Hurdle?

2.40 Ascot: 'He's better here than anywhere else' - who wins out of the Ascot specialists?

3.15 Ascot: 'He loves it at Ascot' - course form can come to the fore in valuable handicap

3.35 Wetherby: 'Everything looks right for him' - Nicholls on Charlie Hall contender Bravemansgame

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