Osborne wins tug of war

RICHARD EDMONDSON

An amusing game of musical saddles yesterday ended with Jamie Osborne accepting the ride on Master Oats in Saturday's Rehearsal Chase at Chepstow.

Osborne had been expected to ride Viking Flagship the same day at Sandown, and indeed schooled the gelding yesterday morning, but he found the lure of a Gold Cup winner too much to resist.

This switch will have done little for the mood of David Nicholson, Viking Flagship's trainer. When told at Worcester that Graham Roach, the gelding's owner, had let Osborne off the mount, the champion trainer seemed to suggest there was a lack of harmony in the camp.

"Jamie schooled the horse this morning and couldn't have been more pleased with him," the champion trainer said. "Jamie Osborne is engaged to ride Viking Flagship at this moment in time and I'm in charge." Apparently not.

Osborne's booking meant that Kim Bailey, Master Oats' trainer, could finally take the oven gloves off. "My phone has been pretty hot with plenty of jockeys wanting to ride the horse," he said.

Bailey, unlike Nicholson presumably, has no arguments with his original booked jockey, Richard Dunwoody. The champion jockey got off Master Oats to resume his partnership with Sound Man, who, coincidentally, tackles Viking Flagship in the Tingle Creek Chase.

"Richard is actually paid a retainer by the owners of Sound Man and not by me," Bailey said. "I knew from day one that if the two horses ran on the same day at different meetings, I would not have him. I just did not expect it to happen this soon.''

While the Rehearsal was diluted yesterday by the announcement that Couldnt Be Better, Saturday's Hennessy Gold Cup winner, would be absent (he will now go for either the Tripleprint Gold Cup at Cheltenham or Ascot's Betterware Cup), the Tingle Creek is shaping up to be an event of some fascination.

As well as Sound Man and Viking Flagship (who will now be ridden by Graham Bradley), Remittance Man, Travado (doubtful), Storm Alert and Nakir were declared yesterday. Nakir's participation will be governed by a piece of work on Simon Christian's gallops tomorrow.