Kempton rain would be appreciated by Lowry’s Bar team

Johnson White is anxiously waiting for rain to hit Kempton so Lowry’s Bar can play a leading role in Saturday’s Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase.

The improving seven-year-old is the 5-1 second-favourite with the sponsors behind Nicky Henderson’s Hyland for the £150,000 contest, having shown exceptional chasing form in the early stages of his fences career.

However, the Sandhill training team are keeping a close eye on the weather forecasts, with the option of heading straight to the Cheltenham Festival for the Ultima standing in reserve.

“It would be a concern if the rain doesn’t arrive and I’m very much hoping the weather forecasters are right and that there will be rain around Friday and Friday night,” said White, who shares the licence in Minehead with Philip Hobbs.

“It’s one of the later races in the day and we can see how things pan out, but we do have the intention to run at the moment.

“There is potential we could pull him out if the rain doesn’t arrive and I wouldn’t want him running on quicker ground. But I’ve got the advantage of Micheal Nolan riding two horses before Lowry’s Bar and he knows the horse and can feed back to me after he’s ridden the track.

“If he didn’t run on Saturday for whatever reason then he would go straight to Cheltenham for the Ultima.

“There is the potential he could still go to the Ultima after this anyway and he has always taken his racing particularly well. I wouldn’t rule it out but we would have a better idea this time next week.”

Yet to finish outside the front two in four chasing appearances, Lowry’s Bar was last seen chasing home the Henderson-trained Jingko Blue in the rearranged Hampton Novices’ Chase at Windsor, with an untimely error three from home ultimately putting paid to his chances.

He was due to rematch that rival in the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot last week only to be a late withdrawal due to lameness.

He now has another Seven Barrows inmate in his sights in this valuable “back-up” option, a race Hobbs has won a joint-record four times.

“He’s rated 148 and I hope he improves further to be rated higher than that, so I think he compares favourably with past winners and I’m looking forward to him taking his chance,” continued White.

“It was an early-closing race and this has always been on the radar, but the Reyonoldstown was just the marginal preference because of the track layout and as the race panned out it was seemingly the easier option, but I have no problem with going to Kempton that’s for sure.

“It’s a nice back-up plan if you want to call it that and there is serious prize-money on offer and it’s great for the owners and the yard to be having a runner in these types of races.”

While it could be rain dances required for Lowry’s Bar, there are no such concerns for White and Hobbs’ other high-class entrant on the Kempton card, with hopes high Imperial Saint can make his mark in the Grade Two Ladbrokes Pendil Novices’ Chase.

Connections are respectful of the challenge presented by Paul Nicholls’ likely favourite Rubaud, but were breathing a sigh of relief when old enemy Jingko Blue was not declared on Thursday morning.

White said: “Imperial Saint won’t be hindered by the ground at all, but equally if the weather does arrive he can go on that as well – he’s fairly straightforward when it comes to what conditions he wants or needs.

“I think because he has done so well at Aintree and he’s run at Newbury, people think that I’ve been looking to keep him to flat left-handed tracks but it isn’t the case and I have no worries about him going right-handed.

“We were pleased to see no Jingko Blue as he has been a thorn in our side recently. He beat Lowry’s Bar at Windsor and then unseated in the Reynoldstown when Lowry’s Bar should have been running. I’m pleased he’s not going to be there to try to beat Imperial Saint as well.

“Rubaud looks the one to beat, but obviously he hasn’t raced over two and a half before whereas we are proven at this distance. Rubaud has won over a mile and seven furlongs on the Flat though, so I wouldn’t think staying would be a problem for him.”

Imperial Saint has twice won at Aintree this season and it is likely that is where he will return in the spring after his Pendil outing.

The seven-year-old also provides a brilliant way for the training team to continue their long association with former champion jockey Richard Johnson who runs the syndicate which owns the improving novice chaser.

White added: “We just felt that having had such a good season at Aintree it would be unnecessary to go to Cheltenham and with the proximity of Aintree to Cheltenham this year, we thought it may prove best to come here then keep him fresh for Aintree.

“He’s always a horse who has run well fresh and has an excellent record at Aintree.”

He went on: “We’ve been involved with Dicky (Richard Johnson) for a number of years as everyone knows. He was actually down at the yard this morning to see some of the horses he’s involved in.

“He is very easy to work with and deal with and he’s got a very enthusiastic syndicate of owners who are excited about his prospects on Saturday and throughout his career so far.”