Verdana Blue Looking For All-Weather Glory

Verdana Blue Looking For All-Weather Glory

Nicky Henderson's versatile mare; Verdana Blue, goes for Listed glory on the flat at Kempton this evening.

The 6yo looks poised to tackle her first Listed contest on the polytrack in the 32Red Wild Flower Stakes, having broke her maiden tag at the first time of asking at Chelmsford back in September.

Since then, she has continued over hurdles for the Jump's Champion Trainer, and has been in pretty useful form lately, with a good fourth latest in the Grade 3 Unibet Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham - where she had excuses.

Prior to that, she won a Listed contest here over timber for her jump's return, before landing the Grade 2 Unibet Elite Hurdle at Wincanton, beating two classy rivals.

Owners at Crimbourne Stud are keen on exploiting all opportunities going, whilst Henderson believes his mare will be taken seriously this time, after many were left sceptical with her entry at Chelmsford, where she was sent off a 6/1 shot.

(Credit: Racing Post) He said: "When she ran at Chelmsford they were probably all wondering what I was doing with a six-year-old maiden mare and she probably wasn't very considered.

"She has to have good ground and has run out of it on turf now. She's had one run on the Flat, but needs three before she gets a handicap mark so we just felt it was worth her having a couple more runs on the all-weather, where she'll get her conditions.

"But now they have seen what she's done over hurdles since, maybe they won't have been as surprised as they were," finished Henderson.

She will face nine rivals at 6:30 this evening, with the Hugo Palmer-trained Architecture and the Brian Meehan-trained Spark Plug looking the main dangers.