RIVERSIDE THEATRE is a strong candidate for
bet of the week when he bids to maintain his unbeaten record for the season in the Betfred Bowl at Aintree on Thursday.
Nicky Henderson's eight-year-old goes into Aintree on a career high, having completed a Grade 1 hat-trick with back-to-back triumphs in Ascot's Betfair Chase followed by a thrilling victory in last month's Ryanair.
This admirable gelding (he's won ten of his 17 starts and failed to make the frame only three times) had to dig deep to prevail in a pulsating finish at Cheltenham and the manner in which he stormed up the hill augurs well for his prospects stepping back up to three miles, especially given his excellent record on flat tracks.
The last time Riverside Theatre ran over this sort of trip he finished second to a peak-form Long Run in last season's King George. The fact that he went on to comfortably land the Ascot Chase five weeks later (shorter than usual gap due to Kempton having been rescheduled) suggests there's a good chance the Festival won't have taken the edge off him considering there's a 28-day break between races.
Furthermore at Cheltenham he was value for more than his winning margin over Albertas Run and Medermit (beaten half a length and the same) as he endured a rough passage due to the right-leaning Captain Chris continually jumping into him.
"Despite that tough race, he will line up a relatively fresh horse having run just three times in the last 14 months."
It's testament to Riverside Theatre's courage, as well as his staying power, that he was able to take the buffeting in his stride and still outrun two high-class rivals who had enjoyed an easier time of things up front.
Despite that tough race, he will line up a relatively fresh horse having run just three times in the last 14 months. The ground won't be an issue either, even if there's plenty of rain, as he's got top-notch form on soft as well as good.
With the Jonjo O'Neill camp leaning towards the Melling Chase for Albertas Run, it will be interesting to see if this first try at three miles will bring about the necessary improvement from Medermit.
Alan King has been saying all season that he believes the grey will stay and it was only in the last few days before Cheltenham that he decided to go for the Ryanair rather than the Gold Cup.
A bigger worry with Medermit though is the prospect of him reproducing his best form post-Festival. At this meeting last year he appeared to run a bit flat despite finishing second to Wishfull Thinking, while in 2009 he followed up his Supreme Novices' Hurdle near-miss with a disappointing fifth (started favourite) behind Noble Alan in the Scottish Champion Hurdle.
Burton Port, stablemate of the selection, would be a big danger at his best but had a hard race when finishing fourth in the Gold Cup, having been off the bridle from some way out, and a bold show in that race has proved a bit of a death knell where this event is concerned with the likes of Kauto Star, Denman and Imperial Commander all suffering short-priced defeats.
Nacarat and What A Friend, the two most recent winners of this, retain enough ability to go in again if the top-rated horses run below par, while Hunt Ball is sure to have his supporters after his remarkable romp through the handicap ranks. This is an altogether different level though and horses untested in Graded company don't usually feature on the 'Bowl' roll of hunour.