Trainer eyes early return after suspension for transporting dead horse in public view is reduced

Shark Hanlon says he hopes to be back training at the end of February after his 10-month suspension for transporting a dead horse in public view in an open trailer was cut to six months on appeal. We’re going to have to put 2024 behind us and move on to 2025.” Hanlon, who gave Rachael Blackmore her first chances and sent over Hewick, the £800 horse, to win last year’s King George at Kempton, sold 15 horses earlier this week. “We don’t have a lot of horses for the winter – we have more summer horses than winter horses and it’s been that way for a while.” Hewick, meanwhile, will go to either Down Royal or Wetherby next month. His Irish colleagues wasted little time getting off the mark at the first Cheltenham fixture of the winter yesterday when Gavin Cromwell won the William Hill Top Price Novice Chase with Path d’Oroux, but the most impressive winner was Dan Skelton’s Valgrand who won the the Sky Bet Novice Hurdle by 17 lengths.