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Our man on the inside - Horsehead - keeps you updated with all the latest news and gossip from Cheltenham on the final day of the Paddy Power Gold Cup meeting. Check back with us through the day.
1708 Well, that’s it then. The great Paddy Power meeting is over for another year. What’s been your highlight? For me, as I couldn’t back my car out of a garage, it had to be Tatenen today. He just looks special. It’s getting back on horses like him that will help speed Ruby’s recovery. Thanks for being with us over the three days. It’s been emotional, as they say.
Betting boots and wallet destroyed. I should reach the pub in about six hours. With a little luck the missus will pick me up. This is Horsehead, first live blogger of the Paddy Power meeting, signing off.
1657 “Dad’s at Fontwell - he gets a nosebleed if he goes north of Fontwell these days.”
Jamie Moore explains father Gary’s absence.
1655 Postscript on the Greatwood Hurdle and just bumped in Jamie Moore, who revealed he had tried to persuade his dad Gary to run Numide at Leicester tomorrow instead. Boys, honestly! Jamie did say he thought that Numide could be suitable candidate for the old Schweppes, which given its association with the great Ryan Price - who do you think Jamie’s brother was named after? - is a race you know Gary covets, and father and son have won the last two runnings with Heathcote and Wingman.
1632 “He definitely won’t run again until the Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival. He was quite a cheap buy.”
Paul Nolan, trainer of 4,000 euro purchase Shinrock Paddy.
1626 “Now I know why the owner brought his own film crew with him.”
Clerk of course Simon Claisse after Shinrock Paddy scoots in.
1622 Fighting talk there from Nick Williams. Can’t imagine for a moment to which “other trainers” he can be refering, can you? Diamond Harry has been cut to 10-1 second favourite for the Ballymore Properties from 16s.
1606 “There is no way that this horse is for sale and it’s not particuarly nice to see your top horses disappearing to other trainers. I’m training him with the Gold Cup in mind s he’s been good all the way and he could be a great horse. This year he will go for either the Ballymore Properties or the three mile novice.”
Nick Wiliams, trainer of Diamond Harry.
1541 Paddy’s morning moves (see 1215) pinpointed the 1-2 there. That might turn out to have been a decent little heat and Diamond Harry looks like a horse of whom we’ll be hearing more.
1530 Emotional scenes in the unsaddling enclosure following the win of Nicky Henderson’s Punchestowns. The horse is owned by Judy Wilson, whose late husband Lynn, who died in a car accident last summer, was a close friend of the trainer.
“We’ve had two winners here and we also had winners at Aintree so I hope that Lynn is approving of what we’re doing. We thought this horse would have probably just the one run over hurdles and then go chasing and the handicapper is going to have an awful lot to say. We might have to review that now and continue hurdling this season and I’ll probably get the programme book out tonight.”
Nicky Henderson, again.
1520 Paddy has trimmed Sizing Europe a point to 7-1 for the Champion Hurdle following his comeback second to Hardy Eustace at Punchestown. A couple of journos have queried that. But I thought that was a pretty satisfactory airing, all things considered, or did last night’s Butcombe Bitter blur my vision?
1512 Paddy is running his third pressroom competition, and with two races left it’s Kel Mansfield, a familiar voice on independent radio’s racing coverage, who leads the way. He was the only entrant to find Pablo de Charmil and he’s just followed up with Punchestowns to go £10 in front of snapper Steve Cargill.
1500 “He would have prefered a stronger test of stamina. I’m not saying he wants further but at two miles he wants a stronger gallop. You could run him at two and half miles and so you might say the Ascot Hurdle would have been the place to start him off, but not off his current rating. He loves soft ground. I’m not quite sure what we do with him now, but if I say you won’t see him running in a Swinton Hurdle you might see where I’m leaning.”
Nicky Henderson, trainer of Aigle D’Or.
1445 Was quite taken by the run of Aigle D’Or there. He looked a million euros beforehand and given the sluggish early gallop won’t have suited him he’s probably done really well to run Numide, who’s no slouch (fifth in a French Derby, remember), to a head while conceding 16lb.
I reckon he might go up 6lb to 8lb and would slot nicely into one of those valuable handicaps like the one at Ascot next month that when I was growing up was the Irish Sweeps Hurdle at Leopardstown and the old Schweppes at Newbury in February. He’ll get a decent pace in those races.
1415 “We needed to get one on the board and we’d didn’t have a winner last year. There’s been lots of different reasons why the horses haven’t been peforming this time. They seem fine at home but they haven’t been finishing there races. This one battled and galloped to the line. We took out Ashkazar because his blood test wasn’t quite right but the last two work mornings I thought were the best that he’s ever done.”
David Pipe, master of Pond House.
1358 Blimey! So badly have Pipey’s runners performed over the first two days Paddy thought he must have put the hex on the yard when he was down there on Monday, and then that happens. Pablo de Charmil bolts up by 10 lengths and Tom Scu is grinning like a Cheshire cat. Must have been having a senior moment when Pipey told us all about that one. Yeah.
1350 Just caught up with Twisters in the parade ring and he reports that yesterday’s hero was as bright as a button this morning.
“Imperial Commander has come out of the Paddy Power great and is fine. He has got the Hennessy, but if the handicapper doesn’t go too mad he’ll come back to Cheltenham next month.”
Nigel Twiston-Davies, trainer of the Paddy Power Gold Cup winner.
1332 What to make of Straw Bear? Don’t think he’s exactly a natural at this game, and it might be he’s holding something back these days, which wouldn’t come as any surprise given all the problems he’d had with bursting blood vessels. Can’t see him carrying my cash any time soon.
1326 That was a bit good, wasn’t it? He corrected himself pretty neatly when meeting the fence at the top of the hill on the wrong stride and otherwise he’s jumped flawlessly. The grafitti artist must have been down at Nicholls’s as Tatenen has got Arkle written all over him and he’s 5-2 favourite from 5-1.
1309 If my tipping is anything like my weather forecasting then I’m heading for Carey Street. It looks pretty murky out there.
1302 This rain is now little more than what the Soccer AM weather forecast would call “light drizzle”. Probably hasn’t been enough to affect the ground, but hopefully we’ll hear what the jocks say after the first.
1255 Interesting views last night from a Cheltenham racegoer found propping up the bar down the Wild Duck. Ed, an environmentalist who works for a climate change pressure group in London’s swanky Saville Row, attended Paddy Power Gold Cup day. He told me he toured most of the bars vainly seeking a TV where he could also keep tabs on the rugby. Frustrated, he asked an official and was informed his quest was pointless.
Now, the last time I looked, Gloucestershire was something of a rugby-mad county, and while the England game might not have made for comfortable viewing for home fans, don’t you think they might have liked the option? After all, they broadcast other major sporting contests during racing at Aintree, Ascot and Newmarket to name just three.
1242 Lingered round the weighing room to catch Philip Hobbs, who puts in a good word for his Ballydub, the mount of Dickie Johnson in the handicap hurdle at 2.55, in which Paddy is paying five places each way, remember.
“He will appreciate the ground and won his only start for me at Newbury, and hopefully there is more improvement to come from him.”
Philip Hobbs, Minehead maestro.
1222 Don’t say we never give a guy a second chance. Dan Skelton, who on Friday did his best to talk me out of backing Ornais and lumping on American Trilogy and Herecomesthetruth, insists backing Tatenen at the current 4-6 is simply buying money.
“He’s odds-on but I’ve always liked him since he was a hurdler and I’ve flagged him up in quite a few publications. The ground is in his favour and he could well be capable of jumping around Cheltenham. He’s our best bet of the day.”
Dan Skelton, assistant to Paul Nicholls.
1215 Arctic Magic had come in for support even before news that Paddy Brennan was replacing Nick Scholfield (who’s very good, don’t get me wrong) and is 14-1 from 25s. Paddy is paying five places each-way in this race and Timpo is now also 14s, from 20-1.
Numide is the popular choice in the Greatwood and is now 9-2 from 11-2. In the fifth, Diamond Harry, now 7-4 from 2-1, is proving a popular favourite over Hell’s Bay, while Door Boy is 6-1 from 8s.
1204 They’re dropping like flies in the Greatwood Hurdle. Now Cuan Na Grai, Motorway and The God Of Love have been withdrawn. In the fourth race yesterday’s hero Paddy Brennan has switched to Arctic Magic following Distiller’s scratching.
1158 “Ruby is not too bad this morning and the surgeon was very happy with him. He’s is good spirits and it is hopefully not a long-term problem. It is difficult to give a time-frame for recovery, it depends on the healing. But he could be out for anything between three to six weeks.”
Jennifer Walsh, sister and agent.
1154 Here’s some welcome news. Ruby Walsh, who ruptured his spleen in a crunching fall from Pride Of Dulcote in the long distance handicap hurdle, underwent a successful operation at Cheltenham General last night. He’ll be out for maybe as much as six weeks.
Sam Thomas, who stepped in for Ruby this time last year, takes over on Tatenen, Rippling Ring, Hell’s Bay and Express Leader today.
1142 Just bumped in the Beeb’s betting guru Angus Loughran whose yesterday dashed away from Cheltenham in order to get the Hawthorns to see the Baggies prove most accomodating hosts to the Blues.
“It was a bit one sided and I didn’t learn anything that I didn’t already know, that being West Brom are prime candidates for relegation and that Chelsea are obviously one of the very best teams in the country.”
The BBC’s Angus Loughran, aka Statto.
1136 Here’s a quick update on those non-runners:
Race 1) Poquelin, I’m So Lucky,
Race 2) Andreas, Acambo,
Race 3) Ashkazar, Blue Bajan
Race 4) Distiller, Arctic Wings, Freddies Return
Race 6) Gus Macrae, Quell The Storm
1132 “There was overnight rain in the area as nearby as Winchcombe but it missed us. We had a dry night and there is a little rain forecast in the next few hours so we may have the odd shower before racing starts.”
Simon Claisse, clerk of the course.
1125 Good morning from Cheltenham where it’s just started ruddy well raining. I hope it’s not going to set in for the afternoon like it on this day last year and they ended up scrapping the bumper on safety grounds.
There’s a stack of non-runners coming through, but that’s only to be expected on a Sunday with 48 hours decs.
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