There are seven Irish-trained entries for the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday, November 15th. They include a quartet from Willie Mullins.
The Mullins' horses include Champagne Fever (10/1), twice a winner at the Festival, plus Ballycasey (12/1), who was fourth in the RSA Chase at the Festival. Felix Yonger (12/1) was fourth in the JLT Novices' Chase behind Taquin Du Seuil, while The Paparrazi Kid (14/1) got the better of Felix Yonger when last seen out in a Grade 2 contest at Limerick last Christmas.
Shanpallas (Charles Byrnes, 14/1) looks the pick of the remaining entries, having been successful last time out in the Munster National at Limerick on October 12th.
Only five horses have won the Paddy Power Gold Cup twice since its inception in 1960 but Johns Spirit could become the sixth in the 2014 renewal of the Grade 3 handicap chase.
Johns Spirit (12/1 with Paddy Power) prevailed by three quarters of a length from Colour Squadron (Philip Hobbs, 12/1) in 2013 and won the two and a half-mile Marie Curie Handicap Chase for the second year running at The Showcase on October 18, scoring by a length from Persian Snow (Philip Hobbs, 16/1).
Jonjo O'Neill, trainer of Johns Spirit, could also be represented by last season's Grade One JLT Novices' Chase hero Taquin Du Seuil (12/1) plus the J.P. McManus-owned pair of Eastlake (25/1), successful over an extended two miles at Cheltenham last season, and Festive Affair (33/1).
HENDERSON HOPES
Three-time champion jumps trainer Nicky Henderson is responsible for five entries including Paddy Power's current 7/1 joint-favourite Oscar Whisky. The nine-year-old is a six-time winner at Cheltenham, including when getting the better of Taquin Du Seuil in the Grade 2 Cheltenham Pony Club Raceday Novices' Chase on New Year's Day, 2014. Completing the Seven Barrows quintet are Rajdhani Express, fifth last season, Hunt Ball, Bear's Affair and Ericht.
The best-supported horse so far with Paddy Power in the ante-post market has been Present View (Jamie Snowden), the other 7/1 joint-favourite. The six-year-old has already scooped a big prize at Cheltenham when successful at the Festival last season, defeating Attaglance (Malcolm Jefferson, 16/1) by half a length. He shaped well on his reappearance when second in a novices' hurdle at Cheltenham this month.
Buywise (Evan Williams, 10/1) finished a staying-on fifth behind Present View at the Festival after making a bad blunder two out. He subsequently returned to Cheltenham for a Grade 2 win over two miles and five furlongs at the April meeting. He reappeared this season in a two-mile novices' hurdle at Ludlow on October 23th, when he won easily by three lengths.
Vale Of Glamorgan-based Williams is keen for the seven-year-old to head to Cheltenham once again but is facing a fitness battle with his stable star. He explained: "I will see how things pan out and Buywise will probably work again next Wednesday. We will see where we go from there.
"He might need another run beforehand if we go to Cheltenham and so I might be struggling for time. His run last time was badly needed.
"I'd love to go for the Paddy Power and that was the point of running him last week. It sort of backfired on us as he won but didn't have a hard enough race. I thought I was being clever running him over two miles but it just didn't stretch him enough.
"My first and foremost aim is to get him to the Paddy Power Gold Cup - he loves it round Cheltenham and that is where I want to be with him. But I just want to hang fire before fully committing him."
Evans could also be represented by King Massini (33/1), The eight-year-old won three times last season, including in a conditional jockeys' handicap chase at Cheltenham in December but, after a fall in the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase, his form tailed off in the latter part of the season.
Williams continued: "Make no mistake, King Massini is a good horse on his day, but he had a hell of a bump at the Festival and it all went wrong after that. He runs over hurdles at Worcester today and we will see where we go from there."
PIPE PAIR
Martin Pipe saddled a record eight winners of the Paddy Power Gold Cup and his son David sent out Great Endeavour to win the race three years ago. David Pipe could be represented this year by Ballynagour (10/1), successful at the Festival in the Grade 3 Byrne Group Plate before being placed at Grade 1 level at Aintree and Punchestown. Pond House's other possible starter is Easter Meteor (20/1), who was travelling strongly when falling two out in last year's Paddy Power Gold Cup.
Nigel Twiston-Davies is the most successful current trainer in the Paddy Power Gold Cup with four wins and his two entries are dual Cheltenham Grade 3 scorer Double Ross (12/1) and Astracad (25/1).
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls, successful with Al Ferof in 2012, has made five entries, headed by Wonderful Charm (12/1), who won an intermediate chase comfortably at Newton Abbot on October 10 and Mr Mole (14/1).
Other interesting contenders include Uxizandre (Alan King, 10/1), who defeated Oscar Whisky in Grade 1 company at Aintree last season and finished fourth on his seasonal reappearance at the same course in the Grade 2 Old Roan Chase last Sunday.
Weights for the Paddy Power Gold Cup will be revealed next Wednesday, November 5th.
THE PADDY POWER GOLD CUP, CHELTENHAM, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15th
£160,000. 2m 4f. 110yds. Maximum field of 20 plus 2 reserves.
Horse Age Owner Trainer
ASTRACAD (FR) 8 Raymond Mould Nigel Twiston-Davies
ATTAGLANCE 8 Mrs H Young, G Eifert, R Snyder Malcolm Jefferson
BALLYCASEY (IRE) 7 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE
BALLYNAGOUR (IRE) 8 Allan Stennett David Pipe
BEAR'S AFFAIR (IRE) 8 Mr G. B. Barlow Nicky Henderson
BUYWISE (IRE) 7 T Hywel Jones Evan Williams
CAID DU BERLAIS (FR) 5 Donlon, Doyle, MacDonald & C Barber Paul Nicholls
CANTLOW (IRE) 9 J P McManus Paul Webber
CEDRE BLEU (FR) 7 Tangledupinblue Charlie Mann
CHAMPAGNE FEVER (IRE) 7 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE
CHAMPION COURT (IRE) 9 M Boothright Martin Keighley
COLOUR SQUADRON (IRE) 8 J P McManus Philip Hobbs
DOUBLE ROSS (IRE) 8 Options O Syndicate Nigel Twiston-Davies
EASTER METEOR 8 Mr & Mrs S C Willes David Pipe
EASTLAKE (IRE) 8 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill
EDGARDO SOL (FR) 7 Axom XXXII Emma Lavelle
ERICHT (IRE) 8 Bridget Hanbury Nicky Henderson
FAGO (FR) 6 Andrea & Graham Wylie Paul Nicholls
FELIX YONGER (IRE) 8 Andrea & Graham Wylie Willie Mullins IRE
FESTIVE AFFAIR (IRE) 6 J P McManus Jonjo O'Neill
HOLLOW PENNY 6 David Sewell Alan King
HUNT BALL (IRE) 9 Atlantic Equine Nicky Henderson
INDIAN CASTLE (IRE) 6 Askew Dick Hernon Reynard Ian Williams
JOHNS SPIRIT (IRE) 7 Christopher Johnston Jonjo O'Neill
KAPGA DE CERISY (FR) 6 A Brooks Venetia Williams
KING MASSINI (IRE) 8 Border Pointers Evan Williams
LAMOOL (GER) 7 J H Frost Tim Vaughan
MANYRIVERSTOCROSS (IRE) 9 Mrs M C Sweeney Alan King
MENORAH (IRE) 9 Diana Whateley Philip Hobbs
MR MOLE (IRE) 6 J P McManus Paul Nicholls
NO BUTS 6 Wontcostalot Partnership David Bridgwater
ONE TERM (IRE) 7 Miss L Reid & Mr G Costelloe Rebecca Curtis
ORPHEUS VALLEY (IRE) 11 No Horse Box Syndicate Tom Gibney IRE
OSCAR WHISKY (IRE) 9 Walters Plant Hire Ltd Nicky Henderson
PERSIAN SNOW (IRE) 8 D R Peppiatt Philip Hobbs
PRESENT VIEW 6 Sir Chips Keswick Jamie Snowden
RAJDHANI EXPRESS 7 Robert Waley-Cohen Nicky Henderson
ROLLING ACES (IRE) 8 David Martin, Paul Barber & Ian Fogg Paul Nicholls
RUBI LIGHT (FR) 9 W Hennessy Robbie Hennessy IRE
SHANGANI (USA) 8 The Bellamy Partnership Venetia Williams
SHANPALLAS (IRE) 6 J P McManus Charles Byrnes IRE
TAQUIN DU SEUIL (FR) 7 Martin Broughton & Friends 1 Jonjo O'Neill
THE PAPARRAZI KID (IRE) 7 Byerley Thoroughbred Racing Willie Mullins IRE
UXIZANDRE (FR) 6 J P McManus Alan King
WONDERFUL CHARM (FR) 6 Robin Geffen Paul Nicholls
45 entries
7 Irish-trained
Paddy Power bet: 7/1 Oscar Whisky, Present View; 10/1 Ballynagour, Buywise, Champagne Fever, Uxizandre 12/1 Ballycasey, Colour Squadron, Double Ross, Felix Yonger, Johns Spirit, Taquin Du Seuil, Wonderful Charm; 14/1 Hunt Ball, Mr Mole, Rajdhani Express, Shanpallas, The Paparrazi Kid; 16/1 Attaglance, Ericht, Persian Snow; 20/1 Caid du Berlais, Cantlow, Easter Meteor, Edgardo Sol, Hollow Penny, Indian Castle, Kapga de Cerisy, Lamool, Menorah, Rolling Aces, Rubi Light; 25/1 Astracad, Bears Affair, Cedre Bleu, Champion Court, Eastlake, Fago, Manyriverstocross; 33/1 Festive Affair, King Massini, One Term, Shangani; 40/1 No Buts; 50/1 Orpheus Valley
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