Fifteen declared for Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham
Meetmebythesea, Madara and Matata feature among 15 declared runners for Saturday's Paddy Power Gold Cup as Cheltenham prepares for its November meeting.
Fifteen runners have been declared for Saturday's Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham, with Festival winners Meetmebythesea and Madara among the principal contenders for the £160,000 handicap chase.
The final field was confirmed on Thursday morning, reducing the 19 horses left at Monday's confirmation stage to 15. Meetmebythesea, trained by Ben Pauling and ridden by Harry Cobden, returns to the course where he won the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase at the Festival in March. His progress over fences has made him one of the leading names in the early-season handicap division.
Dan Skelton, successful with Panic Attack in last year's renewal, is represented by Madara, Blueking d'Oroux and Riskintheground. Madara won the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival and is partnered by Tristan Durrell, while Harry Skelton rides Blueking d'Oroux. The stable's three runners give the reigning champion trainer several opportunities to follow up his first victory in the race.
Matata heads the weights among the declared runners and will be ridden by JJ Slevin for Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies. Johnnywho, the Ultima Handicap Chase winner at the Festival, has Jonjo O'Neill Jr aboard, while Sam Twiston-Davies partners Paul Nicholls' Quebecois.
The Irish challenge includes Henry de Bromhead's July Flower, ridden by Darragh O'Keeffe, and Zurich, with Sean Bowen booked, as well as Paul Nolan's Release The Beast, who will be partnered by Sean Flanagan. The presence of three Irish-trained runners adds another dimension to a contest traditionally associated with the early development of Britain's leading handicap chasers.
Also declared are O'Moore Park, Guard Your Dreams, Norn Iron, Torneo and Dunkerque. Several of the 19 confirmed earlier in the week did not make the final field, emphasising the importance of Thursday's declarations in establishing the shape of the race.
Ground conditions have been a prominent consideration in the build-up to the three-day November meeting. Cheltenham has watered its Old Course following a prolonged dry spell, and officials have been monitoring rainfall in an effort to provide suitable jumping ground. Trainers' assessments of the surface remain an important factor in deciding whether to run.
The Paddy Power Gold Cup is the centrepiece of Saturday's programme and one of the first major handicap chases of the British winter. With several Cheltenham Festival winners in opposition, it offers an early test of whether their spring form can be carried into a new campaign.
By TP Editorial
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