JP McManus loses appeal to run Cheltenham Festival winner in major Flat handicap

JP McManus has lost an appeal to try to secure a start for one of his Cheltenham Festival winners in the historic Cesarewitch Handicap. The billionaire is the owner of a Dream To Share, winner of the Champion Bumper at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, who has been running on the Flat since disappointing over hurdles.

He finished fourth in runs over 7f and 1m and won his latest start over much further in a 1m7f maiden race at Leopardstown in June. for trainers John and Thomas Kiely and was available at 10-1 in the betting market after being entered in the October 11 feature at Newmarket.

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However he has not been allocated a handicap mark by the assessor in Ireland and his name was not included among the weights for the 2m2f race when the weights were published on Wednesday.

This followed a decision by the BHA handicapper to refuse to issue a rating, which McManus’s team unsuccessfully challenged.

A BHA spokesperson said: “An appeal was made by connections of A Dream To Share to the BHA’s handicapping ombudsman, David Cleary, which asked him to consider whether the BHA’s handicapper has been correct in refusing to give a British Flat mark to the horse, based on the information available to them.

“In a decision that will be published in full in due course, Mr Cleary found that the approach taken in this case, following the decision of the IHRB handicapper to decline to give the horse a mark, was consistent with the treatment afforded to any other Irish-trained and raced Flat horses. He therefore denied the appeal.”

The spokesperson went on: “Regarding the Cesarewitch, the conditions for the race confirm that the rating used for qualification is that published on August 19, prior to publication of the weights today.

“A Dream To Share, therefore, was not qualified and – in the interests of fairness to other competitors and those who have bet on the race – there is nothing within the race conditions that allows for a horse to be added at a later date.”