Wednesday, November 25, 2009
45 ENTERED FOR Boylesports.com GOLD CUP - FESTIVAL WINNER SOMETHING WELLS COULD RETURN IN £150,000 CONTEST
Meeting: The Boylesports International
Dates: Friday & Saturday - December 11 & 12
Gates Open: 10.00am both days
First Race: 12.05pm Friday, 12.10pm Saturday
Admission prices from £9. Go to www.cheltenham.co.uk for further information
The £150,000 Grade Three Boylesports.com Gold Cup, which takes place at Cheltenham on the second day of the Boylesports International, Saturday, December 12, has received 45 entries, with 11 of those trained in Ireland.
First run in 1963, the two miles and five furlongs handicap chase takes place on the New Course at Cheltenham and is race number 17 in the Order Of Merit. An illustrious roll of honour boasts the likes of Flyingbolt, Pendil, Combs Ditch, Dublin Flyer and Exotic Dancer.
Eight horses have managed to win both the Boylesports.com Gold Cup and Cheltenham’s other early-season feature, the Grade Three Paddy Power Gold Cup. Three of those completed the double in the same season, most recently Exotic Dancer in 2006. This year Tranquil Sea could bid to become the latest horse to capture both races following his impressive four-and-a-half length defeat of Poquelin in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at The Open on November 14. Tranquil Sea is one of four entries for Irish handler Edward O’Grady along with the Sky’s The Limit, the 2006 Coral Cup victor at The Festival and a Grade One winner over fences, Bringbackthebiff and Shazand. O’Grady landed the Boylesports.com Gold Cup with Go Roger Go in 2000.
Something Wells, trained by Venetia Williams, enjoyed the biggest victory of his career when successful over the course and distance in the Grade Three Freddie Williams Festival Plate at The Festival on March 12, when he just got the better of stable companion Ping Pong Sivola by three-quarters of a length. The eight-year-old has not been seen out since, but could make his reappearance in the Boylesports.com Gold Cup, according to Graham Skeats, racing manager for owners Favourites Racing.
Skeats revealed: “Something Wells is a possibility for the Boylesports.com Gold Cup as things stand. He wasn’t ready in time for the Paddy Power Gold Cup which, having seen the race, I am quite pleased about because it could have been quite a tough race for him on his seasonal return.
“We thought that he would run a solid race in the Freddie Williams Festival Plate but you can never be confident going in to The Festival. We were obviously thrilled and delighted that he produced a career-best performance.
“He fell in the Jewson the year before and, if he had completed that day, then I could quite easily have seen him having been placed in that race.
“He kept going up in the handicap without winning before then because he is such an enthusiastic horse - he loves his jumping and he loves to travel.
“He has gone up 13lb for winning at The Festival so we are not sure whether he can be as competitive off a mark of 150 in the top handicap chases - we can just hope that he can continue progressing. The bottom line is that we won’t know until we run him. “
In addition to Paddy Power Gold Cup runner-up Poquelin, champion trainer Paul Nicholls could also be represented by Topham Chase victor Gwanako and Chapoturgeon, who landed the Jewson Novices’ Handicap Chase at The Festival last season but fell at the eighth fence on his reappearance in the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
Trainer Keith Goldsworthy recently confirmed Paddy Power Gold Cup third Hold Em as on course for the Boylesports.com Gold Cup, while other runners from the November 14 contest that could return to Cheltenham next month include the sixth, Our Vic, the seventh, Il Duce, as well as Knowhere, Tarotino, My Petra and I’m So Lucky who were all pulled up.
The 11 Irish-trained contenders include plenty of classy performers. In addition to the Edward O’Grady-trained quartet, the potential Irish challenge could also include five from the Willie Mullins stable headed by last term’s Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase fifth Scotsirish as well as the 2008 Grand National third Snowy Morning, Pomme Tiepy, J’Y Vole and Jayo. Also among the contingent from Ireland are Horner Woods, who finished second to Cooldine in last season’s Grade One RSA Chase at The Festival and The Last Derby, who caused a 33/1 upset when triumphant in a Listed handicap chase at Ascot on October 31.
Other interesting contenders include Razor Royale, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies and successful in the Irish Times Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase at The Open last time out when partnered by his son Sam. Welsh handler Tim Vaughan has two entered, both owned by Paul Beck and previously trained by Venetia Williams. Atouchbetweenacara registered a facile victory over the course and distance in the Grade Two ESN Silver Trophy Limited Handicap Chase at Cheltenham’s April meeting, while Stan won the same contest in 2008.
The two-day Boylesports International takes place at Cheltenham on Friday, December 11 and Saturday, December 12. Apart from the Grade Three Boylesports.com Gold Cup, Saturday’s card also features the £150,000 Grade Two Boylesports.com International, a leading trial for the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle, to which it is linked by a £200,000 bonus.
Highlight of the first day of the meeting is the £50,000 Listed Neptune Investment Management Handicap Chase, run over three miles, one and a half furlongs.
THE Boylesports.com GOLD CUP
Class One, Grade Three, £150,000 Total Prize Fund. 2.25pm, Cheltenham, Saturday, December 12, 2009. For four-year-olds & upwards, two miles & five furlongs. Penalties: after November 28, a winner of a chase 5lb - no penalty to increase a horse’s weight above 11st 12lb. Entries closed November 24, entries released November 25 (45 entries), weights revealed December 2, five-day confirmation stage December 7, final declaration stage, 10.00am, December 10. For figures supplied by Weatherbys and are correct up to & including the racing of Monday, November 23.
Form Horse Age Owner Trainer
4/2120-6 AKILAK (IRE) 8 ADA Partnership Howard Johnson
1F/2F21- ATOUCHBETWEENACARA (IRE) 8 Paul Beck Tim Vaughan
1///1P2P1- AU COURANT (IRE) 9 Michael Buckley Nicky Henderson
06FF-1F BIBLE LORD (IRE) 8 Martin Tedham Andrew Turnell
1/F2410- BRINGBACKTHEBIFF (NZ) 7 Thomas Barr Edward O'Grady IRE
430PF-6 BUCK THE LEGEND (IRE) 7 Alan Parker, C Fell & A Harris Nigel Twiston-Davies
21204-P CALGARY BAY (IRE) 6 Camilla Radford Henrietta Knight
211F2-F CHAPOTURGEON (FR) 5 David Johnson Paul Nicholls
2/31/21-3 FROM DAWN TO DUSK 10 Charles Lloyd-Baker Philip Hobbs
U125F-U GWANAKO (FR) 6 The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls
6P0353 HOLD EM (IRE) 7 David Hughes Mike Evans and Partners Keith Goldsworthy
F212-P0 HORNER WOODS (IRE) 7 Howard Spooner Jessica Harrington IRE
12500-P I'M SO LUCKY 7 Sheila Brookhouse David Pipe
1341/P0/- IDOLE FIRST (IRE) 10 D and J Racing Ltd Venetia Williams
P2/P40-0 IL DUCE (IRE) 9 Mrs Peter Prowting Renee Robeson
24121-P ISN'T THAT LUCKY 6 Valda Burke Jonjo O'Neill
33/04-10 J'Y VOLE (FR) 6 Hammer & Trowel Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE
1145-15 JAYO (FR) 6 Peter Garvey Willie Mullins IRE
100P-3P KNOWHERE (IRE) 11 Raymond Mould Nigel Twiston-Davies
64U5-34 LORD HENRY (IRE) 10 Karola Vann Philip Hobbs
25020-1 MOUNT OSCAR (IRE) 10 Jean Bishop Colin Tizzard
12FP-PP MY PETRA 6 Richard & Lizzie Kelvin Hughes Nicky Henderson
1/41104- OR BLEU (FR) 7 The Kingpins Philip Hobbs
11/PP4-6 OUR VIC (IRE) 11 David Johnson David Pipe
13606-4 PABLO DU CHARMIL (FR) 8 Joe Moran David Pipe
13445-0 POMME TIEPY (FR) 6 Susannah Ricci Willie Mullins IRE
1231FP- POP (FR) 6 Robert Kirkland Henry Daly
1300-12 POQUELIN (FR) 6 The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls
10P52-0 PRIVATE BE 10 David and Daphne Walsh Philip Hobbs
F313-01 RAZOR ROYALE (IRE) 7 Colin Cornes Nigel Twiston-Davies
2162-52 SAPHIR DES BOIS (FR) 5 F Lloyd Jonjo O'Neill
21354-3 SCOTSIRISH (IRE) 8 Double R Stables LLP Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE
00-1114 SEVEN IS MY NUMBER (IRE) 7 David Johnson David Pipe
1F60-01 SHAZAND (FR) 6 Simon Tindall Edward O'Grady IRE
0//1141-3 SKIPPERS BRIG (IRE) 8 Ashleybank Investments Limited Nicky Richards
544/30-P SKY'S THE LIMIT (FR) 8 Exors of the Late Raymond Rooney Edward O'Grady IRE
F20-611 SNOWY MORNING (IRE) 9 Quayside Syndicate Willie Mullins IRE
202021- SOMETHING WELLS (FR) 8 Favourites Racing XVIII Venetia Williams
1P04PF- STAN (NZ) 10 Paul Beck Tim Vaughan
3/2030-2 TAMARINBLEU (FR) 9 The Arthur White Partnership David Pipe
3P11-1P TAROTINO (FR) 7 J B Webb Alan King
2P1341 THE LAST DERBY (FR) 5 John Brennan Eoin Griffin IRE
5F-262U THE SAWYER (BEL) 9 D R Fear Bob Buckler
556-211 TRANQUIL SEA (IRE) 7 Nelius Hayes/D Cox Edward O'Grady IRE
141P-25 WATCH MY BACK 8 Tony Ambler Ferdy Murphy
45 Entries
11 Irish-trained
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