Cheltenham hero Mister Whitaker is being treated with caution, by trainer Mick Channon.
The six-year-old prospect had his third win of the season at Prestbury Park, where he galloped home to victory in the Listed Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase.
Channon spoke glowingly of his horse:
Everybody was chuffed last week. We always thought he was a nice horse. Somersby gave us a taste of what it was like at Cheltenham, but it was nice to get a winner.
He has got a lot of class and he is a very competitive little horse, but he only ever just does enough so he probably helps himself. I thought going up 8lb was a little harsh, but I suppose the little horse has improved all year and has done nothing wrong.
As for the future, Channon was not particularly decisive in the direction he will go in:
He has got a couple of options. We could go for the two-and-a-half mile Grade One at Aintree or back to Cheltenham for the Grade Two there next month. If he was seven or eight I think we would kick on and have a go at the good horses, but he has got time on his side.
If he was to run a good race in the Grade One at Aintree and finish second, third or fourth behind a good one you could easily be off a mark of 152 next season. If you leave him until next year he will get in all those big handicaps like the BetVictor (Cheltenham) off a competitive mark.
One thing that’s for sure is Channon has a supremely capable horse on his hands – one that will be at the business end of races for years to come.
