Paddy Power Gold Cup - Nov 17th Cheltenham.

Cheltenham Media release.

PADDY POWER OPEN BETTING ON HIGHLIGHT OF THE OPEN
Trainer Keiran Burke is hoping that stable star Hunt Ball can continue his incredible
rise in the £150,000 Paddy Power Gold Cup, the feature race of Cheltenham’s Open
meeting on Saturday, November 17.
Race sponsors Paddy Power have opened their book on the extended two and a halfmile handicap chase and installed Hunt Ball as their 8/1 joint-favourite alongside Grade
One Racing Post Arkle Chase runner-up Cue Card.
Hunt Ball proved himself to be one of the stories of last season with seven wins that
culminated with a stunning eight-length victory at The Festival in the Listed Pulteney
Land Investments Novices' Handicap Chase, run over the same course and distance
as the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
The seven-year-old started his novice campaign racing off a mark of 69 and ended the
season with a fine third in the Grade One Betfred Bowl at Aintree in April - a
performance that elevated his official rating to 157.
Burke revealed today: “I am very happy with Hunt Ball. He has come back from the
summer bigger and stronger and he looks better than ever.
“I hope there is plenty more to come from him. He has obviously got to improve a fair
bit to compete with the big boys, but in his last run at Aintree he was still showing
improvement even after the long hard season he had.
“He ran a cracker at Aintree and I think if that had been his fourth or fifth race of the
year, he would have probably gone and won as he came there very strongly but was
just feeling the effects of a long season towards the end of the race.“I’m pretty sure there is more improvement to come and he will start this season in the
Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham. I think he probably wants to go further than
that, but the Paddy Power Gold Cup will suit him and then after that we will look at all
the big races.
“He will go for the King George at Kempton and then the owner has got a lot of money
on him for the Gold Cup, so he will probably go there or the Ryanair, but I’m not sure
what he will do in between.
“I think he can win the Paddy Power Gold Cup off his mark, but he is not the easiest
horse to get fit as he is big horse. He will take a fair bit of work and we will give him a
few racecourse gallops beforehand and try and get him as fit as we can.”
Champion Court (10/1) also boasts some excellent form at Cheltenham, having
captured a Grade Two novices’ chase on New Year’s Day and finished second in the
Grade Two Jewson Novices’ Chase at The Festival, but the seven-year-old may miss
the race to concentrate on a King George challenge.
His trainer Martin Keighley reported: “Champion Court has done really well over the
summer and we are slowly stepping his work up now. I think he has improved over the
summer and he had the longest break of any horse in the yard because he wasn’t right
when he ran at Aintree.
“I think he had gone over the top a bit and when he got back we did some tests and he
wasn’t quite right, so he did amazingly well to finish second.
“Prior to that, his run at the Festival in the Jewson was brilliant when he bumped into
a superstar (Sir Des Champs) who is now favourite for the Gold Cup.
“There is a graduation chase at Kempton on November 5 and I think Champion Court
will go there for his first run.
“It would be a big ask for him in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, so I think he will go to
Kempton and then one more race in between before a crack at the King George. I think
the three miles at Kempton will suit him and he tends to jump a little bit right so you’d
think going round there will suit him better.
“He is probably a notch off top-class but he is entitled to improve and take on the best
this season. His best form is over two miles, five furlongs so he will probably go for the
Ryanair after the King George. However, if he stays really well you never know, he
could be a Gold Cup horse.”
Invictus (10/1) also enjoyed a productive first season over fences that culminated with
victory in the Grade Two Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot.
Betfred Cheltenham Cup runner-up The Giant Bolster (12/1) may bid to avenge his
early departure in the Paddy Power Gold Cup last year, while Grade Two scorer
Silviniaco Conti, last year’s fourth Aerial and Grade One Manifesto Novices’ Chase
victor Menorah are also quoted at 12/1. Entries for the Paddy Power Gold Cup close on Tuesday, October 30, and are
announced the next day. The weights are revealed on Wednesday, November 7.
The Open meeting runs from Friday, November 16, to Sunday, November 18. Tickets
are available online at www.cheltenham.co.uk or via the box office on 0844 579 3003.
Paddy Power Gold Cup - Paddy Power bet:
8/1 Hunt Ball, Cue Card, 10/1 Champion Court, Invictus 12/1 The Giant Bolster, Aerial,
Silviniaco Conti, Menorah, 14/1 For Non Stop, Cristal Bonus, Michel Le Bon, 16/1
Poquelin, 20/1 Quantitativeeasing, Divers, Micheal Flips, Solix, Zaynar, 25/1 Dave’s
Dream, Loosen My Load, 33/1 Finger On the Pulse
Each way 1/4 odds, 1,2,3 & 4