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Our man on the inside - Horsehead - keeps you updated with all the latest news and gossip from Cheltenham on Paddy Power Gold Cup day. Check back with us through the day - and tomorrow!
1650 So that’s Paddy Power Gold Cup day done and dusted. How was it for you? Rather suspect one was not amused by the result. And as for the Scoop6 that always sounds like having to deal with the cat’s litter. Paddy at least got as far as the fourth.
The consolation is there’s a glorious pint or two of Butcombe Bitter waiting down at the Wild Duck. We’ll be back tomorrow to bring you all the news from the final day of the Paddy Power meeting. Until then, good night.
1636 Postscript on the long distance handicap hurdle. How unlucky can you get? Powerstation has now come to Cheltenham four times, and each time, you guessed it, he’s finished second.
He’s owned by the gloriously named Fat Frog Syndicate, and you’d think this latest bar-hitter would be enough to make you croak. However, trainer Eamon O’Connell was cheery enough.
“He loves this place and one day he might get his head in front,” said Eamon. “We’ll give him another run maybe if he’s okay after this and hopefully come back for the Festival.”
Make a note of winning jockey Rhys Flint, by the way. The 17-year-old has turned conditional having been a star of the point-to-point circuit. He cut his competitive teeth in pony racing and works for Fair Along’s trainer Philip Hobbs.
1613 Scoop6 update. There will be £2million in the win fund, and £900,000 in the place pool carried forward to next Saturday.
1610 Jonjo O’Neill, on being informed that Sunnyhillboy had scuppered both the Scoop6 and his owner’s gambled-on Qanta De Thaix, replied: “Did I? I’m crying!”
1605 Breaking news. Blue Bajan is out of tomorrow’s Greatwood Hurdle. Rumour has it Andy Turnell will reroute him to the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle.
1602 Tut, tut. Trainer David Marnane, over from Ireland to run Hampstead Heath in the first and Vanishing Causeway in the last, heads home £290 lighter, having been fined by the stewards for bringing a “catheter mount syringe with electrolytes” into the stable yard.
1555 But Sunnyhillboy pulls it out of the fire for the Racing Post’s award-winning snapper Ed Whitaker. Ed found Joe Lively and Fair Along to put him in with a squeak going into the last, and now he’s off to Dublin to enjoy Paddy’s legendary hospitality at the rugby. Take a bow, young man.
1544 Going into the last leg of the tipping competition, it’s all to play for with the Sunday’s Herald’s wordsmith Paul Wheeler, who found Imperial Commander and Fair Along, holding a £3 advantage over Mike Cattermole and Martin Booth of the Sunday Mirror sports’ desk.
The Catt has been calling them home this afternoon and won’t know he’s in with a shout of landing the prize of the VIP trip to the Ireland - England international. He’s gone for Hernando Royal. Let’s see what call he gives the horse if it’s in the firing line.
1522 “So there’s not going to be any knighthood. Poor old Queen.” Twisters in typically jovial mood in the winner’s circle.
So it is the Hennessy next then for Imperial Commander, who was promoted to 7s second favourite by Paddy? “Oh, forgot he was in that. Got 9-13, has he? Hmm, probably have to have a look at that now,” continued the tousled one.
“Since we finished him last season this was always going to be the target first time out, but I couldn’t be confident simply because it was first time out.”
Prior to having the Hennessy highlighted, Twisters was musing over the King George, for which he has been introduced at 16-1.
1451 So Imperial Commander does for the Commander in Chief. It’s Twister’s second Paddy Power after Tipping Tim 16 years ago, and a first for Paddy Brennan.
But how unlucky do you think Silverburn was? I know the fences are there to be jumped and all that, but what would he have found?
1442 How can you be late off when Il Duce’s there? Trains on time, that sort of thing…..
1435 He’s no ordinary Joe round here, is he? That’s Joe Lively’s third win round Cheltenham, and now Colin Tizzard is eying a tilt at the Hennessy at Newbury where last season he won a novice chase by no fewer than 80 lengths. “He’s just nicked himself and so that would be my one concern,” Tizzard told me. “But otherwise if he’s okay he’ll run.”
Paddy offers 12-1 about Joe Lively for the Hennessy, while he has put him into the Grand National at 20s.
“We entered him for the National last year but as we’d run him 14 times we thought we’d been to the well a bit too often and it would have been a bit greedy. This year we’ll keep him to about one a month.”
1353 So, think you’ve just seen the SunAlliance winner? Paddy is offering you 16s if you reckon you did. Didn’t get a chance to have a natter with Twister, but Alastair Down, the driest wit on Channel 4 tv, has gone for Bible Lord in the Paddy Power - fairly appropriate for a man who has famously taken the pledge. Perhaps he’s looking for divine intervention as well this afternoon.
1336 “I went for Samarian because I thought last time it was a much better race than it was given credit for, and I thought he would be better suited by softer ground.” The sagacious David Cleary explains how he did it.
1320 Paddy is again running a tipping competition for members of the press at Cheltenham, and in Stanford-style it’s a big-money winner-takes-all prize; a VIP trip to Dublin in February to watch Ireland v England in the Six Nations at Croke Park.
And it’s Timeform’s David Cleary, who snaffled £250 of Paddy’s wonga for winning yesterday’s comp, who has opened up an immediate 11 point gap on his 46 rivals, being the only entrant to have found Simarian. Whatever he’s drinking, I want some.
1314 “They seem to forget about us down there,” laughed Evan Williams after he notched up his half century of winners in the opener. “Only Twister and Paul Nicholls have won more than us.”
Simarian had clearly surpassed his tutor’s expectations. He added: “I thought that we could win a little summer juvenile with him, but he has improved at home dramatically.” There’s no such thing as a little summer juvenile at the home of National Hunt racing in the winter.
1249 Paddy could end up hitchhiking out of Cheltenham if Silverburn does the business in the Paddy Power, but he is still putting on a brave face. “We’re never too disappointed to see a punter win,” he said. “Paul Nicholls thinks that he is a Ryanair horse and if that’s true, then he’s probably a stone well in. He’s been heavily backed and is a huge loser for us. If Paul can win the race for the first time we are the ones who will be out of silver!”
1240 Just caught up with Alan King, who said that his best chance of the day was “probably” Saticon in the opener. He enthused: “He has improved an awful lot since his win at Kempton and I am expecting a good run. I have been very happy with his progress since. It’s probably a bit too competitive for Tuanku, but his owners are delighted to come to Cheltenham.
“Halcon Genelardais (2.00) will probably head to Chepstow for the Welsh National and may find something a bit better weighted today.
“Ouzbeck in the Paddy Power has been hugely progressive with me. He’s 11lb higher in the handicap than when he won here before, but I’m more concerned about the ground as I think that he is a proper good ground horse.”
1220 Latest betting news is that Paddy is in danger of being trimmed up by Barbers Shop, who is, after Silverburn, the second strongest supported horse in the Paddy Power Gold Cup. Barbers Shop is now 13-2 from 7s. In the second race Big Fella Thanks is now 13-8 from 7-4.
1210 Four-time Scoop6 winner Dave Nevison is playing three pools today, yet he’s not convinced the bumper pot can be lifted.
“I think there are too many really lively outsiders today,” said Dave, tucking into a plate of steak pie and mushy peas. “I don’t think it’s a certainty that, even with the amount that’s being pumped in today, that it will be won.”
Dave fancies Ashley Brook and Barbers Shop in the Paddy Power Gold Cup. “I think Ashley Brook is well handicapped and while everyone thinks he doesn’t get the trip, I think that he now needs it,” he said.
1158 For those of you still seeking inspiration for the Scoop6, Paddy passes on his pearls of wisdom. The great man doesn’t need the money, of course, but he does love a challenge.
1) Joe Lively
2) Imperial Commander
3) Ice Tea
4) Valerius
5) Knockavilla
6) Jocheski
1150 Snatched a quick word with Colin Mackenzie, the former racing correspondent of the Daily Mail and, more importantly, part-owner of Fleet Street. He’s bullish about his horse’s chances, having backed him at 25s.
“Far and away his best runs have been first time out and the only time he’s been beaten on his first run was when he went to Plumpton for what we thought was a modest little race and he finished fourth to a horse called Voy Por Ustedes, and he finished lame that day,” said Colin. “If you fancy Barbers Shop, you have to fancy Fleet Street as he was only a length and a half behind him in the Jewson after having, shall we say, an impeded run, and he’s 2lb better off. I wouldn’t put anyone off backing him.”
1135 To Paddy’s hospitality box and a quick chat with Dave Mitchell, aka ValueScope of the Daily Mirror. Mitch put up Nicky Henderson’s pair Barbers Shop and Fleet Street in the Paddy Power Gold Cup and he confided that his idea of the best bet of the weekend is David Pipe’s Very Cool in the Southern National (3.10) at Fontwell tomorrow.
The Mirror this week unveiled Pipey as their star columnist, and Mitch dryly observed: “Qanta De Thaix has been backed off the boards in the last and it was the one horse David didn’t mention. Go figure!”
1105 A quick update on the non-runners. Starluck is out of the first, Parsons Legacy misses the second, Go Free skips the fifth and South Wing won’t be taking off in the last.
1100 Early market news centres on Silverburn, who is comfortably the best backed horse of the day and has been cut from our top-priced 4-1 to 7-2. Mike Cattermole, the uber urbane C4 anchor, really fancies him, saying he’ll love the ground. He’s also quite keen on Imperial Commander. There’s been money for Don’t Push It, in a point to 11-1.
The second strongest supported horse so far is Qanta De Thaix in the last, being levered into 11-4 favourite from 5-1. David Pipe didn’t parade that one when Paddy visited the yard. Can’t think why.
In the opener, Giogio Quercus is now 2-1 from 9-4, while in the novice chase at 1.25 Gone To Lunch is 9-2 from 5s.
1040 Good morning, everyone. It’s Paddy Power Gold Cup day and Prestbury Park is blessed with a sun-kissed morning and a current temperature of 13 degrees. A dry night means that the going remains unchanged, being Soft, Good to Soft in places.
Clerk of the course Simon Claisse, hotfoot from a circuit of the track, tells us: “I’m surprised how little damage there is after yesterday’s racing. The hoofprints are not more than half an inch deep. The going is soft but it is perfect winter jumping ground. This is the first year in a while that we’ve not had to water for this meeting.”
The big race is due off at 2.35 and remember Paddy is paying five places each-way. Silverburn is currently the 7-2 favourite. All is set fair for what should be a cracking day’s racing. Get involved with the blog, send in your views, your opinions and your tips.
November 15th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
barber shop is a snip @ 13/2, it will be no close shave, as he is head and shoulders “the big fella”, I wiil be able to afford a cut and blow dry with the winning from paddy
November 16th, 2008 at 6:32 am
A great day’s racing.
I’ve never heard Paddy Brennan so bullish as he was about Imperial Commander, that could be some horse.
I’m glad I didn’t win the Scoop 6 this week, just imagine how much more I can win next week!
Cheers for the comprehnsive coverage.