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2015 Gold Cup
- Thread starter Old Vic
- Start date
. I got it at 20/1 not so sure at 8s.If Djakadam wins then I will lose-Regardless of hype on form he's got no chance. He was heavily punted before the Hennessy where he carried no weight and got stuffed. We're continually being told to forget that run as he wasn't ready..They take the horse to another country for a 170k handicap where they back him heavily and we're expected to believe he wasn't fit..Bullshit! If he wins i'm packing it in.
loveracing
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I am with you on this one donka. Its not like he beat a GC field at Thyestes and on totally different ground. That runs means nothing.
mayo
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Its not like we saw the Thyestes either !.
I wouldnt dismiss him totally but with Ruby up you can almost guarantee he will shorten from the price he is now. He is not the third most likely winner of the race imo.
I wouldnt dismiss him totally but with Ruby up you can almost guarantee he will shorten from the price he is now. He is not the third most likely winner of the race imo.
Mytentoryours
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Very talented horse and a super jumper. If Coneygree runs I think it will inconvenience others a lot more than him but not for me either. Can't see a six year old winning it (he is alot more inexperienced than Long Run was).
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MrMcGoldrick
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MrMcGoldrick
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I see Many Clouds is being backed this morning, they are obviously expecting a reasonable amount of rain, can't see it getting into the ground that much, unless it's a deluge
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THE FESTIVAL 2015, CHELTENHAM
RACENEWS RACECOURSE SERVICE
LADIES DAY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11
CONEYGREE JOINS SELECT GROUP
When Coneygree lines up in Friday's Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup, he will bid to become the first novice chaser to land Jump racing's most-coveted prize since Captain Christy in 1974.
Since then, relatively few novices have taken up the challenge, with the 1997 third Dorans Pride faring best of those that have tried. Below are listed all the novices who have run in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup since Captain Christy.
Year Horse Finishing Position SP
1974 CAPTAIN CHRISTY WON 7/1
1977 Zarib Fell 12/1
Lanzarote Slipped Up 7/2
1979 Gaffer 6th 6/1
Night Nurse 7th 6/1
1980 Kas Pulled Up 100/1
Narribinni Pulled Up 100/1
1985 Drumadowney 4th 9/1
Boreen Prince 6th 20/1
1986 Von Trappe Fell 25/1
Castle Andrea Pulled Up 500/1
1989 Carvill's Hill Fell 5/1
Slalom Unseated Rider 33/1
1997 Dorans Pride 3rd 10/1
Cyborgo 8th 12/1
Danoli Fell 7/1
1999 Unsinkable Boxer Pulled Up 14/1
2000 Gloria Victis Fell 13/2
2003 Beef Or Salmon Fell 5/1
2004 Therealbandit 7th 15/2
2006 Iris's Gift Pulled Up 16/1
18 horses are declared for the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on Gold Cup Day, Friday, March 13. This is the highest number of runners since Kauto Star's first success in the three mile, two furlong and 110 yards contest in 2007.
Irish-trained winners have won the contest 22 times over the years and 10 Irish-trained horses bid to add to that tally on Friday.
Two past winners of the race Lord Windermere (2014) and Bobs Worth (2013), will bid to become the eighth horse to win the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on more than one occasion.
Last year's Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere aims to retain his unbeaten record at the Cheltenham Festival having gained victories in the RSA Chase (2013) and Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup (2014).
Lord Windermere's trainer Jim Culloty attempts to maintain his unbeaten training record at the Festival after enjoying two winners from two runners at The Festival last year. Those victories came courtesy of Lord Windermere (Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup) and Spring Heeled (Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase)
Bobs Worth will aim to enhance his impressive Cheltenham Festival record, having won at The Festival three times in four visits. If the 10-year-old were to regain his crown, he would become only the second horse after Kauto Star to regain chasing's Blue Riband.
Holywell is another horse attempting to retain his unbeaten record at The Festival, having been successful in the Pertemps Final and the Festival Handicap Chase in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
14 of the 18 declared runners for the contest have run before at The Cheltenham, with only three of those horses winning a race.
Willie Mullins, Noel Meade, Oliver Sherwood, Venetia Williams, Mark Bradstock, David Bridgwater, John Kiely, Richard Chotard, Alan King, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead will all be aiming to win their first Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday. Elliott and de Bromhead will also be having their inaugural runners in Friday's showpiece courtesy of Don Cossack (preferred engagement tomorrow's Ryanair Chase) and Home Farm respectively.
The Richard Chotard-trained River Choice bids to emulate The Fellow's 1994 Gold Cup success and become only the second French-trained winner of the race.
Smad Place, the only grey runner in the field, will look to follow in the footsteps of 1989 Gold Cup winner Desert Orchid and become just the second grey horse to win the jumping showpiece.
Tony McCoy, Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty have all tasted success in the race twice before and bid to close in on Pat Taffe's record of being the most successful jockey in Gold Cup history, with Taffe having won the race on four occasions.
Eight-year-olds have a strong record in the race having won the contest 20 times, which included the last two renewals of the Gold Cup, courtesy of Bobs Worth and Lord Windermere. Coneygree, Don Cossack (preferred engagement tomorrow's Ryanair Chase), Holywell, Home Farm, Houblon Des Obeaux, Many Clouds, Road To Riches, Sam Winner and Smad Place are the eight-year-olds set to line up this time around.
Nine-year-olds boast the best record having won the event 24 times. Lord Windermere, Silviniaco Conti and Carlingford Lough attempt to enhance that statistic on Friday.
Jonjo O'Neill and Jim Culloty form part of an elite list of five Gold Cup winning jockeys to go on and train the winner of the same race. O'Neill was successful as a jockey twice in the race courtesy of Alverton (1979) and Dawn Run (1986). He then trained Synchronised (2012) to win the race. Jim Culloty rode Best Mate to three successive Gold Cup victories (2002, 2003 and 2004) before going to train the 2014 winner Lord Windermere. They aim to add to that tally on Friday where O'Neill will be represented by Holywell and Culloty by Lord Windermere.
Paul Nicholls would become the joint most successful trainer in Gold Cup history if Silviniaco Conti or Sam Winner won on Friday. Nicholls has gained four successes in the race, just one behind the late Tom Dreaper's record five Gold Cup winners.
Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins would join a select band of jockey and trainer partnerships to have been successful in the Stan James Champion Hurdle and the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same year if Djakadam was successful in Friday's contest. Following Faugheen's facile Champion Hurdle success, a victory for Djakadam would make Walsh and Mullins only the sixth trainer-jockey combination to win both championship races in the same year, and the first since Kim Bailey and Norman Williamson in 1995.
The French-trained River Choice would become only the third 12-year-old to win the race and the first since What A Myth in 1969.
Coneygree will attempt to become the first novice to succeed in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup since Captain Christy in 1974.
RACENEWS RACECOURSE SERVICE
GOLD CUP DAY, FRIDAY, MARCH 13
QUOTES FROM GOLD CUP PRESS CONFERENCE
Mark Bradstock - trainer
"Luckily the decision to go for the Gold Cup was vindicated. I'm not very good at watching. It's a sort of numb feeling that you don't really think it's happened. I'm sure it will sink in tonight. We had to make a decision on Tuesday on which race to for. It was obviously very nice to see the rain this morning.
"The beginning of the season was obviously a cock-up (after Coneygree was withdrawn at the start of a novice chase at Plumpton on the advice of the vet, much to the chagrin of the Bradstocks). Luckily it was nothing to do with us.
"We put him in the Gold Cup when the entries closed as, if we hadn't, then it would have been an expensive business to start supplementing him later. We were due to run in the BetBright Cup on Trials Day (Cheltenham, January 24) but sadly he pulled some muscles in his back leg so that had to be postponed. Then we went to the Denman Chase (at Newbury) purely to see if we were barking up the wrong tree.
"The only real downside to all this is that John (Oaksey) wasn't here. I'm sure he's looking down on us with a smile.
"It's not just about Nico turning up and riding Coneygree. It's about all the work he does, coming in whenever we ask him, all the work with the other horses as well - both Nico and my son (Alfie) do so much work with, not just Coneygree, but all the horses we have. We rate Nico very highly and he was always going to keep the ride. It was never an option that anyone else would ride. We don't behave like that and I don't think John (Oaksey) would have wanted it either.
"It's a tall order for a novice to run in the Gold Cup and make all - we were aware of that. As Sara said though, if he would have won the RSA Chase by 20 lengths, not that I'm saying he would have, then part of us would have been kicking ourselves for not running in the Gold Cup. The rain didn't come by Wednesday and luckily it did today.
"The key to it is that it was a very open Gold Cup. I don't think there is such a thing as a bad Gold Cup or a bad Derby, it just happened to be very open. In hindsight, if you look at the horses that have won on Tuesday and Wednesday, next year's Gold Cup is going to be pretty interesting. Touching every piece of wood, hopefully we'll be back next year.
"I honestly didn't think he would win at any point apart from when they crossed the line. I'm a terrible box walker. I can go through a packet of fags and do a lot of walking during a race and occasionally look at the screen. I couldn't really watch the race.
"We've always thought a hell of a lot of him. If you come and watch him do a piece of work on the gallops, you wouldn't think 'wow!' but you wouldn't have thought that watching Carruthers work two weeks before he won the Hennessy (at Newbury). Everyone who rides him thinks that he has more to give and, like Nico said, he had a bit more to give today - that's how he races. He has got an incredibly high cruising speed and jumps brilliantly thanks to a lot of work that my son and Nico have done with him.
"My family work incredibly hard. Not only does my son do a lot of work with him but my daughter Lily led him up today and Sara does most of the work behind the scenes. She'll be washing him down now in his box while I'm sitting here drinking champagne. She's magical - absolutely wonderful. The owners have been brilliant too and just left the decision on which race to run in up to us.
"I still think the National Hunt game is different from the Flat. You still can still win races with not a lot whereas on the Flat, it's impossible. If I were an owner, and I have been an owner, I would still prefer having a horse in a small yard where you are going to take more attention, both for the horse and for the owner, but that's just down to preference.
"In terms of the rest of the season, we'll see how he comes out of this race. He's certainly not going to Aintree. He's now won two Grade Ones and two Grade Twos and that's not bad for the season."
Nico de Boinville - jockey
"It's terrific - a dream come true. I'm just very grateful to Mark, Sara and the owners for letting me ride him. I had no influence in whether he went for this race but I was confident in their decision and after the race last night, I couldn't have been happier. The horse is very straightforward. We rode him how we planned, get in front over the first two and then get him into a rhythm as we passed the stands first time. I wanted to conserve a bit as I knew the ground was very testing. We then just wound it up from the front - it was very simple in the end. He was being hassled a bit up front which made him pull a little but it didn't really affect him.
"I always knew I had a bit more left at the end. When we turned at the top of the hill, he went again and I knew after the downhill fence (three out) that he would go again and keep finding. I could see the two challengers as we approached the last in my peripheral vision. He shifted right purely because he was tired and under pressure but he was still going forward which always helps.
"It was bittersweet to miss the Denman Chase. I got banned riding Karachi Apache in a Grade Two at Doncaster - it was just one of those things and I had to accept it. Watching how he did it in the Denman, I was very happy for everyone. He doesn't ride like a novice at all and he never has done."
RACENEWS RACECOURSE SERVICE
LADIES DAY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11
CONEYGREE JOINS SELECT GROUP
When Coneygree lines up in Friday's Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup, he will bid to become the first novice chaser to land Jump racing's most-coveted prize since Captain Christy in 1974.
Since then, relatively few novices have taken up the challenge, with the 1997 third Dorans Pride faring best of those that have tried. Below are listed all the novices who have run in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup since Captain Christy.
Year Horse Finishing Position SP
1974 CAPTAIN CHRISTY WON 7/1
1977 Zarib Fell 12/1
Lanzarote Slipped Up 7/2
1979 Gaffer 6th 6/1
Night Nurse 7th 6/1
1980 Kas Pulled Up 100/1
Narribinni Pulled Up 100/1
1985 Drumadowney 4th 9/1
Boreen Prince 6th 20/1
1986 Von Trappe Fell 25/1
Castle Andrea Pulled Up 500/1
1989 Carvill's Hill Fell 5/1
Slalom Unseated Rider 33/1
1997 Dorans Pride 3rd 10/1
Cyborgo 8th 12/1
Danoli Fell 7/1
1999 Unsinkable Boxer Pulled Up 14/1
2000 Gloria Victis Fell 13/2
2003 Beef Or Salmon Fell 5/1
2004 Therealbandit 7th 15/2
2006 Iris's Gift Pulled Up 16/1
18 horses are declared for the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on Gold Cup Day, Friday, March 13. This is the highest number of runners since Kauto Star's first success in the three mile, two furlong and 110 yards contest in 2007.
Irish-trained winners have won the contest 22 times over the years and 10 Irish-trained horses bid to add to that tally on Friday.
Two past winners of the race Lord Windermere (2014) and Bobs Worth (2013), will bid to become the eighth horse to win the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on more than one occasion.
Last year's Gold Cup winner Lord Windermere aims to retain his unbeaten record at the Cheltenham Festival having gained victories in the RSA Chase (2013) and Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup (2014).
Lord Windermere's trainer Jim Culloty attempts to maintain his unbeaten training record at the Festival after enjoying two winners from two runners at The Festival last year. Those victories came courtesy of Lord Windermere (Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup) and Spring Heeled (Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase)
Bobs Worth will aim to enhance his impressive Cheltenham Festival record, having won at The Festival three times in four visits. If the 10-year-old were to regain his crown, he would become only the second horse after Kauto Star to regain chasing's Blue Riband.
Holywell is another horse attempting to retain his unbeaten record at The Festival, having been successful in the Pertemps Final and the Festival Handicap Chase in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
14 of the 18 declared runners for the contest have run before at The Cheltenham, with only three of those horses winning a race.
Willie Mullins, Noel Meade, Oliver Sherwood, Venetia Williams, Mark Bradstock, David Bridgwater, John Kiely, Richard Chotard, Alan King, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead will all be aiming to win their first Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday. Elliott and de Bromhead will also be having their inaugural runners in Friday's showpiece courtesy of Don Cossack (preferred engagement tomorrow's Ryanair Chase) and Home Farm respectively.
The Richard Chotard-trained River Choice bids to emulate The Fellow's 1994 Gold Cup success and become only the second French-trained winner of the race.
Smad Place, the only grey runner in the field, will look to follow in the footsteps of 1989 Gold Cup winner Desert Orchid and become just the second grey horse to win the jumping showpiece.
Tony McCoy, Ruby Walsh and Barry Geraghty have all tasted success in the race twice before and bid to close in on Pat Taffe's record of being the most successful jockey in Gold Cup history, with Taffe having won the race on four occasions.
Eight-year-olds have a strong record in the race having won the contest 20 times, which included the last two renewals of the Gold Cup, courtesy of Bobs Worth and Lord Windermere. Coneygree, Don Cossack (preferred engagement tomorrow's Ryanair Chase), Holywell, Home Farm, Houblon Des Obeaux, Many Clouds, Road To Riches, Sam Winner and Smad Place are the eight-year-olds set to line up this time around.
Nine-year-olds boast the best record having won the event 24 times. Lord Windermere, Silviniaco Conti and Carlingford Lough attempt to enhance that statistic on Friday.
Jonjo O'Neill and Jim Culloty form part of an elite list of five Gold Cup winning jockeys to go on and train the winner of the same race. O'Neill was successful as a jockey twice in the race courtesy of Alverton (1979) and Dawn Run (1986). He then trained Synchronised (2012) to win the race. Jim Culloty rode Best Mate to three successive Gold Cup victories (2002, 2003 and 2004) before going to train the 2014 winner Lord Windermere. They aim to add to that tally on Friday where O'Neill will be represented by Holywell and Culloty by Lord Windermere.
Paul Nicholls would become the joint most successful trainer in Gold Cup history if Silviniaco Conti or Sam Winner won on Friday. Nicholls has gained four successes in the race, just one behind the late Tom Dreaper's record five Gold Cup winners.
Ruby Walsh and Willie Mullins would join a select band of jockey and trainer partnerships to have been successful in the Stan James Champion Hurdle and the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same year if Djakadam was successful in Friday's contest. Following Faugheen's facile Champion Hurdle success, a victory for Djakadam would make Walsh and Mullins only the sixth trainer-jockey combination to win both championship races in the same year, and the first since Kim Bailey and Norman Williamson in 1995.
The French-trained River Choice would become only the third 12-year-old to win the race and the first since What A Myth in 1969.
Coneygree will attempt to become the first novice to succeed in the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup since Captain Christy in 1974.
RACENEWS RACECOURSE SERVICE
GOLD CUP DAY, FRIDAY, MARCH 13
QUOTES FROM GOLD CUP PRESS CONFERENCE
Mark Bradstock - trainer
"Luckily the decision to go for the Gold Cup was vindicated. I'm not very good at watching. It's a sort of numb feeling that you don't really think it's happened. I'm sure it will sink in tonight. We had to make a decision on Tuesday on which race to for. It was obviously very nice to see the rain this morning.
"The beginning of the season was obviously a cock-up (after Coneygree was withdrawn at the start of a novice chase at Plumpton on the advice of the vet, much to the chagrin of the Bradstocks). Luckily it was nothing to do with us.
"We put him in the Gold Cup when the entries closed as, if we hadn't, then it would have been an expensive business to start supplementing him later. We were due to run in the BetBright Cup on Trials Day (Cheltenham, January 24) but sadly he pulled some muscles in his back leg so that had to be postponed. Then we went to the Denman Chase (at Newbury) purely to see if we were barking up the wrong tree.
"The only real downside to all this is that John (Oaksey) wasn't here. I'm sure he's looking down on us with a smile.
"It's not just about Nico turning up and riding Coneygree. It's about all the work he does, coming in whenever we ask him, all the work with the other horses as well - both Nico and my son (Alfie) do so much work with, not just Coneygree, but all the horses we have. We rate Nico very highly and he was always going to keep the ride. It was never an option that anyone else would ride. We don't behave like that and I don't think John (Oaksey) would have wanted it either.
"It's a tall order for a novice to run in the Gold Cup and make all - we were aware of that. As Sara said though, if he would have won the RSA Chase by 20 lengths, not that I'm saying he would have, then part of us would have been kicking ourselves for not running in the Gold Cup. The rain didn't come by Wednesday and luckily it did today.
"The key to it is that it was a very open Gold Cup. I don't think there is such a thing as a bad Gold Cup or a bad Derby, it just happened to be very open. In hindsight, if you look at the horses that have won on Tuesday and Wednesday, next year's Gold Cup is going to be pretty interesting. Touching every piece of wood, hopefully we'll be back next year.
"I honestly didn't think he would win at any point apart from when they crossed the line. I'm a terrible box walker. I can go through a packet of fags and do a lot of walking during a race and occasionally look at the screen. I couldn't really watch the race.
"We've always thought a hell of a lot of him. If you come and watch him do a piece of work on the gallops, you wouldn't think 'wow!' but you wouldn't have thought that watching Carruthers work two weeks before he won the Hennessy (at Newbury). Everyone who rides him thinks that he has more to give and, like Nico said, he had a bit more to give today - that's how he races. He has got an incredibly high cruising speed and jumps brilliantly thanks to a lot of work that my son and Nico have done with him.
"My family work incredibly hard. Not only does my son do a lot of work with him but my daughter Lily led him up today and Sara does most of the work behind the scenes. She'll be washing him down now in his box while I'm sitting here drinking champagne. She's magical - absolutely wonderful. The owners have been brilliant too and just left the decision on which race to run in up to us.
"I still think the National Hunt game is different from the Flat. You still can still win races with not a lot whereas on the Flat, it's impossible. If I were an owner, and I have been an owner, I would still prefer having a horse in a small yard where you are going to take more attention, both for the horse and for the owner, but that's just down to preference.
"In terms of the rest of the season, we'll see how he comes out of this race. He's certainly not going to Aintree. He's now won two Grade Ones and two Grade Twos and that's not bad for the season."
Nico de Boinville - jockey
"It's terrific - a dream come true. I'm just very grateful to Mark, Sara and the owners for letting me ride him. I had no influence in whether he went for this race but I was confident in their decision and after the race last night, I couldn't have been happier. The horse is very straightforward. We rode him how we planned, get in front over the first two and then get him into a rhythm as we passed the stands first time. I wanted to conserve a bit as I knew the ground was very testing. We then just wound it up from the front - it was very simple in the end. He was being hassled a bit up front which made him pull a little but it didn't really affect him.
"I always knew I had a bit more left at the end. When we turned at the top of the hill, he went again and I knew after the downhill fence (three out) that he would go again and keep finding. I could see the two challengers as we approached the last in my peripheral vision. He shifted right purely because he was tired and under pressure but he was still going forward which always helps.
"It was bittersweet to miss the Denman Chase. I got banned riding Karachi Apache in a Grade Two at Doncaster - it was just one of those things and I had to accept it. Watching how he did it in the Denman, I was very happy for everyone. He doesn't ride like a novice at all and he never has done."
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THE FESTIVAL 2015, CHELTENHAM
RACENEWS RACECOURSE SERVICE
GOLD CUP DAY, FRIDAY, MARCH 13
BEATEN HORSES IN THE BETFRED GOLD CUP
Paul Nicholls, trainer of the 3/1 Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Silviniaco Conti who finished seventh, said: "Noel (Fehily) wasn't really sure why he did not perform better.
"The ground might have been deep enough for him - I don't think he travelled in it as he was on and off the bridle a little bit - I think the ground was a bit more testing than we thought and he was not enjoying it. Kempton soft and Haydock soft are different to here, being on flat tracks. With a circuit to go, I wasn't particularly happy and he kept galloping on at one speed.
"No excuses really. I know that he has had a good prep and everything was right. He's not the biggest in the world and you would have to say, watching that, he needs a flatter track or better ground.
"Probably round here, he might want better ground to bring out the best in him or I will have to go along with everyone else and say that he wants a flat track. There's nothing lost and, if he's fresh and well, we will probably head to Aintree and then we might have to revise our plans with what we do with him next season.
"He is a small horse. Denman and Kauto Star were big, scopey horses and we described him as a pony. Sometimes those smaller horses do find it harder on that ground.
"He lives to fight another day and the winner was mighty impressive. All credit to the Bradstocks - it was a brilliant training performance and well done to them all."
Fehily added: "I wasn't happy at any point and he was beaten early. He did not run his race for whatever reason."
Sam Twiston-Davies, who partnered Sam Winner, the other Nicholls-trained runner (pulled up), said: "I could not believe the gallop they went and the winner kept going all the way."
Barry Geraghty, who partnered the 2013 Gold Cup winner and last year's fifth Bobs Worth (pulled up), said: "It is brilliant for Nico de Boinville (the winning jockey) who is a lovely lad in the yard (Nicky Henderson) to work with.
"I would say it was softer ground two years ago when Bobs Worth won. We were just flat out all the way today - I could not go the pace for whatever reason. "
Richie McLernon, who partnered the fourth Holywell for trainer Jonjo O'Neill, said: "I know stays all day and you can't ask for any more when a horse gives you everything. He gave me his all today - the ground was just a little bit softer than ideal but you can't blame that too much. He gave me a great ride.
"He was travelling away, I know he stays and he loves the hill. You do think for a split-second think you might win but it's a long hill. It's a dream experience and I am delighted to be a part of it. I was lucky enough to go out in the race with a live chance.
"It's brilliant for Nico and the Bradstocks. They are a small operation but fair play to them. It was a brave choice - yesterday they wouldn't have got their ground but they got it today."
Oliver Sherwood, trainer of Many Clouds who finished sixth, said: "I was disappointed that Many Clouds did not finish in the first four or travel better. He was bang there and his jumping kept him in the game.
"I don't know if he was a bit flat. Whether he was out of his comfort zone, I don't know. He has finished sixth in a Gold Cup so he gets some prize money. The rain helped. I think he is better than that performance. I think it was a very good National trial for next season.
"I was very impressed with the winner."
RACENEWS RACECOURSE SERVICE
GOLD CUP DAY, FRIDAY, MARCH 13
BEATEN HORSES IN THE BETFRED GOLD CUP
Paul Nicholls, trainer of the 3/1 Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Silviniaco Conti who finished seventh, said: "Noel (Fehily) wasn't really sure why he did not perform better.
"The ground might have been deep enough for him - I don't think he travelled in it as he was on and off the bridle a little bit - I think the ground was a bit more testing than we thought and he was not enjoying it. Kempton soft and Haydock soft are different to here, being on flat tracks. With a circuit to go, I wasn't particularly happy and he kept galloping on at one speed.
"No excuses really. I know that he has had a good prep and everything was right. He's not the biggest in the world and you would have to say, watching that, he needs a flatter track or better ground.
"Probably round here, he might want better ground to bring out the best in him or I will have to go along with everyone else and say that he wants a flat track. There's nothing lost and, if he's fresh and well, we will probably head to Aintree and then we might have to revise our plans with what we do with him next season.
"He is a small horse. Denman and Kauto Star were big, scopey horses and we described him as a pony. Sometimes those smaller horses do find it harder on that ground.
"He lives to fight another day and the winner was mighty impressive. All credit to the Bradstocks - it was a brilliant training performance and well done to them all."
Fehily added: "I wasn't happy at any point and he was beaten early. He did not run his race for whatever reason."
Sam Twiston-Davies, who partnered Sam Winner, the other Nicholls-trained runner (pulled up), said: "I could not believe the gallop they went and the winner kept going all the way."
Barry Geraghty, who partnered the 2013 Gold Cup winner and last year's fifth Bobs Worth (pulled up), said: "It is brilliant for Nico de Boinville (the winning jockey) who is a lovely lad in the yard (Nicky Henderson) to work with.
"I would say it was softer ground two years ago when Bobs Worth won. We were just flat out all the way today - I could not go the pace for whatever reason. "
Richie McLernon, who partnered the fourth Holywell for trainer Jonjo O'Neill, said: "I know stays all day and you can't ask for any more when a horse gives you everything. He gave me his all today - the ground was just a little bit softer than ideal but you can't blame that too much. He gave me a great ride.
"He was travelling away, I know he stays and he loves the hill. You do think for a split-second think you might win but it's a long hill. It's a dream experience and I am delighted to be a part of it. I was lucky enough to go out in the race with a live chance.
"It's brilliant for Nico and the Bradstocks. They are a small operation but fair play to them. It was a brave choice - yesterday they wouldn't have got their ground but they got it today."
Oliver Sherwood, trainer of Many Clouds who finished sixth, said: "I was disappointed that Many Clouds did not finish in the first four or travel better. He was bang there and his jumping kept him in the game.
"I don't know if he was a bit flat. Whether he was out of his comfort zone, I don't know. He has finished sixth in a Gold Cup so he gets some prize money. The rain helped. I think he is better than that performance. I think it was a very good National trial for next season.
"I was very impressed with the winner."
Ben Aiken
the way of a dosage strong contender…
Coneygree is, rightly so, the story of the week. To win the blue riband of the jumping game in such a fashion off the back of only three chase starts was nothing short of outstanding.
I didn’t back him myself (I was a Road To Riches man) but on my figures I wasn’t shocked by the outcome, he was joint-second on my final figures and he had the correct Dosage figures to do the job.
Five of the 16 Gold Cup runners had bang ideal Dosage Figures for the demanding test and that group provided the winner – CONEYGREE – and the third placed horse – ROAD TO RICHES.
To be fair to the runner-up – DJAKADAM – his figures were only a whisper away from being spot on for the race parameters, they were certainly not a negative for his chances.
For the record the Dosage figures of the first three home in this demanding test are…
CONEYGREE – 0-1-2-2-5 (10) | 0.25 | -1.10
DJAKADAM –0-1-7-2-0 (10) | 0.82 | -0.10
ROAD TO RICHES – 1-0-7-2-4 (14) | 0.47 | -0.57
The Gold Cup is easily one of the strongest races on the calender when it comes to the Dosage Angle and year after year the figures hold up.
Coneygree is very much in the Denman mold in that he is laden with stamina influences and uses them to crucify others off the front-end, continually turning the screw and leaving a trail of broken horses in his wake. He has the Dosage figures to keep on grinding and those types are always extremely hard to pass.
Can the Bradstock’s keep Coneygree sound and at his peak to fend off all-comers in the 2016 Gold Cup?
the way of a dosage strong contender…
Coneygree is, rightly so, the story of the week. To win the blue riband of the jumping game in such a fashion off the back of only three chase starts was nothing short of outstanding.
I didn’t back him myself (I was a Road To Riches man) but on my figures I wasn’t shocked by the outcome, he was joint-second on my final figures and he had the correct Dosage figures to do the job.
Five of the 16 Gold Cup runners had bang ideal Dosage Figures for the demanding test and that group provided the winner – CONEYGREE – and the third placed horse – ROAD TO RICHES.
To be fair to the runner-up – DJAKADAM – his figures were only a whisper away from being spot on for the race parameters, they were certainly not a negative for his chances.
For the record the Dosage figures of the first three home in this demanding test are…
CONEYGREE – 0-1-2-2-5 (10) | 0.25 | -1.10
DJAKADAM –0-1-7-2-0 (10) | 0.82 | -0.10
ROAD TO RICHES – 1-0-7-2-4 (14) | 0.47 | -0.57
The Gold Cup is easily one of the strongest races on the calender when it comes to the Dosage Angle and year after year the figures hold up.
Coneygree is very much in the Denman mold in that he is laden with stamina influences and uses them to crucify others off the front-end, continually turning the screw and leaving a trail of broken horses in his wake. He has the Dosage figures to keep on grinding and those types are always extremely hard to pass.
Can the Bradstock’s keep Coneygree sound and at his peak to fend off all-comers in the 2016 Gold Cup?