It's trials day at Cheltenham and the BetBright Cup Chase sees 6 horses go to post...
Dynaste - David Pipe - Tom Scudamore
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| Dynaste won the Ryanair last year and has Gr1 form of 232 since |
Dynaste loves
Prestbury Park, with 2 wins and 6 places from 6 starts at Cheltenham (form of
228121 at the track). His last victory came here in the Ryanair Chase at last
year’s festival, when he beat Hidden Cyclone by about 2 ½ lengths to win under
Tom Scudamore, but his three subsequent Grade 1 starts have all seen him come
up short to the same horse – ante-post Gold Cup favourite Silviniaco Conti, behind whom he was 2nd in the Betfred
Bowl at Aintree last April, 3rd in the Betfair Chase in November and
2nd in the King George on Boxing Day.
It had been suggested by many
that Dynaste is not a true top-class
horse over 3m and therefore not a Gold Cup contender, but a win here would
surely force connections to rethink their intentions of taking the easier route
of returning to the Ryanair Chase.
I would tend to disagree with the theory that Dynaste isn’t a top class horse over a
longer trip, with his record of 3 wins and 5 places from 11 runs over 3m or
further speaking for itself. Regardless of whether he turns out to be a Gold
Cup contender, he has put in strong displays against the best staying chasers
around and this race should be well within his grasp were he to perform to his
ability today.
Many Clouds - Oliver Sherwood - Leighton Aspell
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| Many Clouds won the Hennessy and the form is working out well |
Many Clouds has
been in flying form this season, following up a listed win at the beginning of
November with a win in the Hennessy at Newbury in the same month. He hasn’t
been seen since, but the Hennessy form is certainly working out well with Djakadam, 8th that day,
winning the Thyestes Chase at Gowran during the week.
Of the 9 horses to finish
the race, 4 have run again, with 2 of them winning and 2 of them placing – form
of 2411. The cut in the ground will suit Many
Clouds perfectly, having won 5 of his 8 starts on soft ground and placed on
another 2 occasions.
Smad Place - Alan King - Wayne Hutchinson
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| Smad Place bids to reverse the Hennessy form with Many Clouds |
Smad Place also
ran in the Hennessy, finishing 5th, and this was his first and only
racecourse appearance so far this season. There were questions following the
race as to whether Alan King should have run him in the Hennessy on his
seasonal debut, and so he will no doubt be expected to improve with a run under
his belt on his return to his beloved Cheltenham, where he has made the frame
in three of his four starts to date (3rd in two World Hurdles and 2nd
in last year’s RSA). It might not be a great surprise to see him reverse the
form with Many Clouds considering he
carries 8lb less than his Hennessy rival.
The Giant Bolster - David Bridgewater - Mr TJ Cannon
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| The Giant Bolster is famous for loving it here at Cheltenham |
Last year’s winner The
Giant Bolster loves Cheltenham, with all of his last 3 wins having been
achieved here. Famous for placing in both the 2012 and 2014 Gold Cups, David
Bridgewater’s horse was disappointing in his seasonal debut in the Charlie Hall
Chase, finishing last.
He showed some improvement when 5th in the
Betfair Chase but still couldn’t compete with today’s favourite Dynaste on that occasion. You can
really never tell what you’re going to get from this horse, but if he puts in
one of his big Cheltenham runs, he could be in the picture coming up the hill.
Black Thunder - Paul Nicholls - Mr Sam Twiston-Davies
Black Thunder is
a true stayer who will relish the tough conditions present tomorrow at
Cheltenham, but not necessarily the track, having fallen on both of his starts
to date at Prestbury Park. However, his progression over the season to date has
been well documented, and if said progression continues as it has done so far,
he could play a big part in this race, especially if his competitors are
struggling to stay up the gruelling Cheltenham hill in testing conditions which
Black Thunder will simply love.
Theatre Guide - Colin Tizzard - Daryl Jacob
Theatre Guide is
the outsider of the group, and he has never tasted any success in terms of wins
or places from four attempts in Group 2 or 1 races. He enjoys soft ground and
very undulating tracks, but might have a slight preference for right-handed tracks and
doesn’t look quite up to this standard.
SELECTION: DYNASTE 5/2
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