How many previous sponsors of (the race that is currently known as) the BetVictor Gold Cup can you name?

You might start with Paddy Power. Or Mackeson. Depending on your own vintage. There was also Murphy’s, which was in effect Mackeson under a different guise. And there was Thomas Pink. Don’t forget Thomas Pink. Remember the wellies?

Martin Pipe trained the winners of all three renewals under the Thomas Pink banner – Lady Cricket, Shooting Light, Cyfor Malta – at a meeting at which he used to excel.

No one trainer dominates the meeting these days like Pipe used to, with six different top trainers at the meeting in the last decade: Henderson, Nicholls, Hobbs, Tizzard, Twiston-Davies. And Pipe. (The apple lies close to the tree.)

Mick Channon has trained Cheveley Park winners and Dewhurst Stakes winners and Nunthorpe Stakes winners and Irish Guineas winners, but he has never been leading trainer at the Cheltenham November meeting, and he has never trained the winner of the BetVictor Gold Cup. Calgary Bay, his solitary runner, was pulled up in 2012.

But that may change this afternoon because, in Mister Whitaker, he has a genuine contender.

The Court Cave gelding didn’t win in two attempts in bumpers or in three attempts over hurdles, but he progressed significantly last season as a novice chaser.

Second to Hell’s Kitchen in a good novices’ handicap chase at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day, the pair of them clear, he stepped forward from that next time when he beat Theatre Territory in another novices’ handicap chase at Cheltenham in January.

He only beat the Waley-Cohen mare by less than two lengths that day, but he idled a little on the run-in, he angled as if he thought he had to go out for another circuit.

He probably had a fair bit more in hand than the winning margin, and the pair of them were clear.

The handicapper raised him by 8lbs for that win, to a mark of 137, which was a good rating for the Close Brothers Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, which he duly won.

It was a good tussle between him and Rather Be, it looked like he had handed it to Nicky Henderson’s horse when he got in tight to the final fence and gave him a two-length start up the run-in.

But there was a lot to like about the manner in which Mister Whitaker dug in and just got up to win by a head.

He meets Rather Be on 9lb worse terms this afternoon which, in theory, should be sufficient to allow the Henderson horse turn around a head defeat.

And it is understandable that he is consequently a shorter price. However, it would only have been 2lbs if Mister Whitaker had not won the Colin Parker Memorial Chase at Carlisle on his debut this season.

He beat the 140-rated Happy Diva by two and a quarter lengths, giving her 11lbs, and he beat the 150-rated Cyrname by four and a quarter lengths, getting just 2lbs from him.

Even from a weights and measures perspective, a rating of 152 should be within his range on that basis.

More than that, however, the style of his win was taking. He travelled really well through his race, probably a little keener than ideal through the early stages.

He was a little slow at the third last fence, which meant that he was playing catch-up a little on the run to the second last, but he picked up well from there and he stayed on really strongly up the run-in.

He is only six and that was just his sixth chase, so he has plenty of scope for further progression. He is two-for-two at Cheltenham, this two-and-a-half-mile trip is a good trip for him, and he goes well on good ground.

Of course, there are lots of dangers. Rather Be is an obvious danger, 9lbs better off for a head beating. Kalondra is a danger. Neil Mulholland’s horse wasn’t travelling badly when he fell at the second last fence in the race that Sub Lieutenant won at the Galway Festival.

It is difficult to claim that he would have beaten Henry de Bromhead’s horse, but he may not have finished that far behind him. Sub Lieutenant is rated 158, Kalondra was giving him 7lbs at Galway, and he gets to race off a mark of 148 today. He could be a well-handicapped horse.

West Approach could run a big race, dropping back down in trip after racing keenly over three miles last time, and there are cases to be made for the two Gary Moore horses, Benatar and Baron Alco.

But Mister Whitaker could beat them all.

Earlier in the day, Calett Mad could be the answer to the BetVictor.com Handicap Chase. Nigel Twiston-Davies’ horse ran well on his seasonal debut at Cheltenham’s October meeting to finish fourth behind Relentless Dreamer and his stable companion Cogry.

He has 16 lengths to make up on Cogry from that day, but he would have been closer had he jumped either of the final two fences a little better. Also, the handicapper has dropped him by 1lb, while he has raised Cogry by 4lbs.

As well as that, Calett Mad is only six, so he has the potential to progress as a staying chaser. He goes well on good ground, he goes well at Chetlenham, and the step up to almost three and a half miles, on good ground, could be ideal.

Recommended

MISTER WHITAKER, 1 point each-way @ 6/1 (generally)

CALETT MAD, 1 point each-way @ 8/1 (generally)