Howard Johnson orders tests after his runners flop

Howard Johnson is planning to have his horses blood-tested before he finalises his weekend plans, following below-par performances from some of his team.

His Inching Closer was pulled up before the third-last when well behind in the Wetherby Sunday Market Novices' Chase at Wetherby yesterday and the County Durham-based trainer said: "I think my horses must have something on them. We have been getting horses come in from Ireland and here, there and everywhere.

"We will just have to get them tested before we see what we are going to do."

Johnson has entered both Inglis Drever and Royal Rosa in the bonusprint.com Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

He went on: "Inglis Drever will go for the Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle, but neither Chivalry nor Royal Rosa will be going to Cheltenham. I will probably only have Grattan Lodge going there as well as Inglis Drever, and maybe one of the nice four-year-olds we have."

Meanwhile, weather permitting, Oliver Sherwood intends to run Rodalko in Saturday's ?50,000 Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster.

The prestigious three-mile handicap chase, formerly the Great Yorkshire Chase, has attracted 27 entries.