Cheltenham Race Festival » Cheltenham Gold Cup

Commander Can Take Gold Cup

Cheltenham Races — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:32:59 +0000

If you were to believe the pundits then you’d wonder why any other horses plan to turn up for the Gold Cup today, because for most it’s only all about Kauto Star and Denman but not so says Imperial Commanders jockey Paddy Brennan who has said he “wouldn’t ride anything else” in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup today and rather confidently believes that he can topple the big two of Kauto Star and Denman!

The Nigel Twiston-Davies trained horse was successful in last year’s Ryanair Chase but feels the Gold Cup will better suit him this year. Clearly the bookies agree because Imperial Commander is third favourite behind the two superstars.

Speaking on Channel 4′s The Morning Line, Brennan said: “It’ll be very competitive and the track is riding brilliantly – it’s a case of the best horse will win. I think he’ll be a much easier ride in the Gold Cup because he’ll travel. In the Ryanair you’re always in top gear and need everything to go right. Today he’ll give me a great ride because he travels and personally I think he stays.”

And he could be right, despite the power of Kauto Star, Imperial Commander came within a nose of defeating him in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November and Brennan believes he can come out on top in their clash on Friday.

“It was best feeling I’ve had off a horse in racing because he gave me something and kept quickening and quickening and going away,” Brennan added. “He went to the third last as quick as he’s ever been and going to the fence he had a blow and it lost me four lengths and gave Kauto a chance and I think I lost the race there. Make no mistake, he can match the best and I wouldn’t want to ride anything else today.”

It could be that the Gold Cup isn’t as clear cut as everybody thinks it will be and maybe, just maybe, Imperial Commander will turn up and really upset the Nicholls party this afternoon!

To have a bet on the Gold Cup go to Paddy Power Bookmakers!

Ruby & Kauto V Tony & Denman

Cheltenham Races — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:33:28 +0000

It is generally accepted by all and sundry, and most especially National Hunt jockeys that while a rider might be talented, he can only win certain races if he is on the right horse. A prime example of this is AP McCoy – an outstanding jockey, but one that is yet to win the Grand National and has but once won the Gold Cup, on Mr Mulligan in 1997. In fact just recently Champion Trainer Paul Nicholls was apparently surprised when someone pointed out to him how the human and equine stories correspond when it comes to the upcoming Gold Cup and his two main contenders – Kauto Star and Denman.

While McCoy is set to ride Denman in the Cheltenham Cup, it will be his archrival (but good friend) Ruby Walsh who will be riding Denman’s archrival (but stablemate and ‘pal’ according to Nicholls) Kauto Star. Some feel that McCoy’s iron constitution and ruthless temperament are not enough to suit the needs of such a characteristic chaser as Denman, who needs less coercion and more horsemanship.

Others who have more knowledge of McCoy are embarrassed by the slating that McCoy has received – he is after all officially the best jockey of all time, a status he achieved on 27th of August 2002 when victory on Mighty Montefalco in a three mile hurdle at Uttoxeter gave him his 1,700th winner, passing the three year old record total of Richard Dunwoody. Nicholls, when told how the equine and human stories of the Gold Cup correspond responded that Kauto Star and Denman are ‘the mirror image of the jockeys – but when they are out there, they’re out there to win’. Never has a truer word been spoken, while Walsh and McCoy are friends, that goes completely out the window once the tapes go up.

Whilst the two jockeys have completely differing styles, there has never been any doubt in their trainer’s mind that each of his horses has the perfectly suited accomplice when it comes to the Gold Cup. Walsh has a friendly but artistic laidback style which perfectly reflects Kauto Star’s attitude, while McCoy’s enforcing style totally suits Denman’s different and aggressive character – as Nicholls stated ‘I always thought someone like McCoy was going to suite Denman’.

As Nicholls has said of the riders of his top horses’ ‘Two champion jockeys, two great horses’ and having the champion jockeys of Great Britain and Ireland in the saddles of the two main contenders for one of the biggest events of the racing calendar is somewhat of a beautiful and intriguing juxtaposition – one which is looked forward to by bookies and punters alike.

Nicholls on the other hand, it is imagined, will be looking forward to the event with some trepidation – it is almost unheard of for one yard to house two such celebrities, and he admits that he has quite mixed emotions, stating ‘the saddest thing for me is that one of them is going to get beat’.

Which one are you going to put a bet on? The friendly or the aggressive? The horse who has won the race once or the horse who has already won it twice? The one being ridden by Ruby or Tony?? The one with the best odds? Exciting stuff!

Place your Cheltenham Gold Cup bet on with Paddy Power Bookmakers now!

Cooldine Gold Cup Chances

Cheltenham Races — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:32:15 +0000

Very little appears to be able to stop Paul Nicholls from winning this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday March 19th and certainly with both Denman and Kauto Star taking centre stage, the other runners appear to have faded into the background in what has become this year’s most anticipated horse racing show down.

But the Irish, Willie Mullins trained eight year old Cooldine is looking like an excellent prospect should the two favourites not compete as expected, in fact, following his performance in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown at the beginning of February, where he came second to Joncol, he has shown a true return to form. Last year saw him win the Dr. P.J. Moriarty Novice Chase in Leopardstown in February which preceded his impressive RSA Chase victory at Cheltenham the following month. In winning the RSA he was no less impressive than Denman had been in the same race two years previously, so it looks like things are looking promising for Cooldine and his team in this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

There was big disappointment for Cooldine’s return race at the end of December 2009, the Lexus Chase, where Ruby Walsh chose to ride him over What A Friend, showing the faith that there is in his abilities. Unfortunately for all concerned, he was pulled up, but there was a big change in the bay gelding for the Hennessy Gold Cup which has reignited not just his trainer Willie Mullin’s hope in him, but also the punters and the bookmakers, who have given him odds as low as 10/1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

It has been speculated that his form is likely to be even better than it was in February by the time of the Cheltenham Festival in mid-March. Whether he will be a realistic threat to the Nicholl’s stable clan is yet to be seen, but he is definitely considered a worthy opponent and is currently at 12/1 with Paddy Power Bookmakers in the Cheltenham Festival ante-post odds so is still excellent value as an each-way bet.

Walsh’s Kauto Star Decision

Cheltenham Races — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:25:29 +0000

When you’re Ruby Walsh and the racing world is at your feet, with the absolute best horses to choose from, it would be easy to assume that choosing the potential Gold Cup winner would be a straight forward choice but Ruby is only human and right now he is hoping that he has made the right decision in sticking with Kauto Star as his ride in next month’s Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Speaking at the press conference to mark the launch of the Irish Racing Post in Dublin on Monday, Walsh said “Decision time for my Gold Cup ride came a bit sooner than I had hoped it would.

“I would have loved to have ridden Denman in the Aon Chase and to see how Nacarat (fourth behind Kauto Star in the King George VI Chase) gets on in the Racing Post Chase before having to make a choice between Kauto Star and Denman.

“It’s always easier to make decisions when you have all the available information in front of you, but I had to make a decision last week and having won two Gold Cups, four King Georges and a host of other good races on Kauto Star, in the heart and the head, I suppose I was always going to side with him.

“They are two exceptional horses and there is probably only a good jump between them. It is only my choice and I’ve made wrong choices in the past, but the Festival is still five weeks away and, like the horses, I have to get there in good shape. So I’m not going to get too worked up about the choice I’ve made, or other choices I will have to make, this far in advance.”

With Denman running this weekend it will be interesting to see how he does with AP McCoy on his back and only Friday 19th March will ultimately tell if Ruby made the right decision…

Don’t forget that all Cheltenham Gold Cup odds are available from Paddy Power Bookmakers.

McCoy Rides Denman In Gold Cup

Cheltenham Races — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:03:37 +0000

There are few horses that Tony McCoy has not had the pleasure and privilege of riding on great occasions and one had eluded him up to now but it’s finally gone McCoy’s way as Paul Nicholls has announced that he will be riding Denman for the first time when he runs in the Aon Chase at Newbury on February 13th.

And it doesn’t stop there because it has also been confirmed that AP will also saddle up for the clash of the year when Denman takes on Kauto Star at this years Gold Cup on Friday 19th March at the Cheltenham Festival. One of the most anticipated races and showdowns of the year, the Gold Cup will no doubt attract one of the biggest audiences ever so the pressure will really be on McCoy to pull out his A game especially as Ruby Walsh has bagged the Kauto Star ride!

In Racing Post, Nicholls wrote: “I asked Ruby [Walsh] whether he wanted to ride Kauto or Denman at Cheltenham and said to think about it for 48 hours. He came back to me late on Thursday night, and once I knew his decision I acted on the basis of what he told me and we have sorted the whole thing out.

“Ruby said he would obviously have liked to have ridden Denman in the Aon, but he understood the situation and said he couldn’t get off Kauto, the horse on whom he’s won two Gold Cups, four King Georges and a host of other Grade 1s. He also appreciated it would be a huge advantage for AP [McCoy] to ride Denman in a race before the Gold Cup.”

Taranis Gold Cup Odds Slashed

Cheltenham Races — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:52:20 +0000

With the weather playing havoc around the country again, the Sky Bet Chase was called off when Doncaster race course didn’t pass inspection so it was left to the good folks at the Cheltenham trials to entertain us over the weekend.

A few of the horses were re-routed there for race entry, namely Seven Is My Number who unfortunately didn’t perform on the day. It’s not a surprise given the traveling that he had to do but the big shocker of the day had to be Taranis who hadn’t run competitively in over 765 days because of injury but managed to come back and absolutely kill off the competition to take the Argento Chase in fine style. Even Paul Nicholls was stunned by the performance quoting ‘Understatement” when asked if he was surprised by the win!

You would have been forgiven for thinking it was a three horse race at the start with Joe Lively, Carruthers and Madison Du Berlais all vieing for the win but it wasn’t to be and because of that Taranis’s odds have been slashed for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March having gone from 66/1 at the beginning of the day to 25/1 after the race.

The full list of ante-post odds from Paddy Power Bookmakers are below…

3.20 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase 3m 2 1/2f

Mon Mome for Gold Cup

Cheltenham Races — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:19:10 +0000

Last years Grand National 100/1 winner is being considered for Cheltenham Gold Cup entry according to his trainer Venetia Williams. The French 10 year old (82781-P3) has been included on the list of Cheltenham Gold Cup entrants for March 19th and currently has ante-post odds of 100/1 with Paddy Power.

“That isn’t a target as such, but it is an option,” said Williams. “I was going to run him in the Welsh National but didn’t as I felt the ground was still frosted.” She went on to say “There is every chance he may join Miko De Beauchene in the Blue Square Gold Cup at Haydock next month. He will also have an entry in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.”

To date the Cheltenham Gold Cup has been all about Kauto Star V Denman and very few horses have even been considered to be legitimately in the running but this is horse racing and if they were all certainties we’d all be rich and 100/1 odds didn’t put Mon Mome off last April! He is also an intended runner in the 2010 Grand National on 10 April and hopes to repeat his victory.

Mon Mome is set for his third run of this season in the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock on Saturday 23rd January.

Cheltenham Gold Cup Runners and Odds

Cheltenham Races — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:00:53 +0000

The Cheltenham Gold Cup is probably the most prestigious horse race in the world and winning it sends you straight into the history books so it’s no wonder that trainers and owners put so much time and effort into training their horses for it.

The race itself is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of 3 miles and 2½ furlongs and has twenty-two fences to be jumped.

The Gold Cup is at present the most valuable non-handicap chase in Britain, and in 2009 it offered a total prize fund of £475,000 which must have made Paul Nicholls a happy man as Kauto Star, the French 10 year old, became the first horse to regain the Gold Cup and is odds on favourite to take it again for the the third time in 2010 but an upset could be on the cards in the form of Denman…watch this space…

3.20 totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup Steeple Chase 3m 2 1/2f

Kauto Star Gold Cup Favourite

Cheltenham Races — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 20:32:22 +0000

It was announced today that Kauto Star is one of 27 horses engaged in the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup which will take place on Friday 19th March. Kauto Star is the only horse ever to regain the Gold Cup crown and heads an incredible list of horses who will all compete in the £475,000 Grade 1 contest.

The Paul Nicholls trained horse will be bidding to emulate Golden Miller, Cottage Rake, Arkle and Best Mate with a third victory. Kauto Star, who is currently ante-post, odds on favourite with nearly every bookmaker, is just one potent challenge from Nicholls, who is bidding to become the first trainer since Basil Briscoe (1932-35) to win four successive Cheltenham Gold Cups and has entered eight horses to give himself the best chances of another victory.

His team includes the 2008 Gold Cup winner Denman and What A Friend, who chased home Denman in the Hennessy Gold Cup and then won the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown.

But this isn’t just the Paul Nicholls show and other notable contenders include Imperial Commander, who took the Ryanair Chase at the festival last season and went down by a nose to Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November, and a potential Irish challenge of eight is headed by the Willie Mullins-trained pair of Cooldine, successful in last season’s Grade 1 RSA Chase, and the unexposed Glencove Marina.

Ante-post odds for the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Paddy Power are as follows…