Not giving up
Greatrex's six-year-old failed to recover from a serious mistake at the first on his chase debut then could only manage third on his second start at Catterick when dropped in grade
WARREN GREATREX is refusing to throw in the towel over fences with Grade One-winning hurdler One Track Mind.
Despite the six-year-old suffering defeats on both his chasing starts this season, the Upper Lambourn handler believes he can still carve out a career over the larger obstacles.
Having trailed home last in Grade Two event at Newbury on his chasing bow, after failing to recover from a serious first-fence mistake, the five-times race winner could only finish third in a beginners' contest at Catterick last week.
Greatrex said: "He has come back fine, but we will get him checked out. There were positives to take out the race, but he is very much a work in progress.
"We will go steady with him, as he is still a relatively young horse. Newbury did hit his confidence hard, it is a case of restoring it.
"I think we would be jumping the gun if we switch him back to hurdles as it is so early on he deserves every chance to see if he can progress over fences.
"It could be that it is a year too early. Some horses can be like that. He could come back next season and it may well be a different story. We will not go too big, too soon. He probably just needs a bit more time."
Greatrex expects to see fellow novice chaser Missed Approach in a better light on his next start after revealing the six-year-old has undergone a wind operation since his disappointing debut over fences at Exeter last month.
He said: "Out of all the horses that have been beaten he is the one I'm most disappointed with as I thought he was ready to go.
"We've had his wind tinkered with. He has taken the operation well and will be back out after Christmas. I think he can be really smart over fences."
