Meeting: The International
Dates: Friday &
Saturday - December 14 & 15
Gates Open: 10am both days
First Race: 12.15pm
Friday, 12.10pm Saturday
Trainer Ferdy Murphy is
hoping to launch a two-pronged assault on the £100,000 Paul Stewart IronSpine
Charity Challenge Gold Cup, the weights for which are announced today. Divers
(10st 2lb) and De Boitron (10st 1lb) are on course for the two mile,
five furlong handicap chase on day two of The International, Saturday, December
15, at Cheltenham.
Divers missed the Paddy
Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on November 17 due to soft ground but the
eight-year-old boasts an excellent record at the home of Jump racing, having
finished fourth in the Grade Three Byrne Group Plate at The Festival in March
and third in the 2011 Paddy Power Gold Cup.
He also beat last season's
Paul Stewart IronSpine Charity Challenge Gold Cup victor Quantitativeeasing
(11st 3lb) in the Listed Pulteney Land Investments Novices' Handicap Chase at
The Festival in 2011.
De Boitron has run well at
The Festival in the two most recent renewals of the extended two-mile Johnny
Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase, coming home sixth in 2012 and fourth in
2011.
The eight-year-old was
third in the Ceres Estates Silver Trophy Limited Handicap Chase over two miles
and five furlongs, at Cheltenham in April, 2011, and filled the same position
on his seasonal return in a Kelso handicap chase on November 10.
Murphy revealed: "I
hope that both Divers and De Boitron will head to Cheltenham. De Boitron will
handle softer conditions, whereas Divers really needs good ground. As long as
the ground is not as soft as it was on the Saturday of The Open, Divers will
definitely run.
"Divers is very, very
well. We worked him on Tuesday morning and I couldn't have him in better shape
so we are desperate to get him to a racecourse.
"He has won on soft
ground but he is very good on a faster surface and, when you get into the top
races, you want everything in your favour. His record at Cheltenham is very
good and I hope that he can take his chance.
"De Boitron has been
third over the course and distance and he ran well twice in the Johnny
Henderson Grand Annual, which is a too short for him.
"He ran a blinder on
his seasonal return at Kelso and he has improved for the outing. He is in good
order and two miles, five furlongs around Cheltenham will be ideal for
him."
The weights for the Paul
Stewart IronSpine Charity Challenge Gold Cup are headed by the Philip
Hobbs-trained Wishfull Thinking (11st 12lb), who was an impressive
winner of the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham on November 18.
Hobbs is also responsible
for Menorah (11st 10lb), who captured the Grade Two StanJames.com
International Hurdle at The International in 2010 and was third in the Grade
One Racing Post Arkle Chase at this year's Festival.
Walkon (10st 12lb) and Nadiya
De La Vega (10st 9lb), second and third in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, could
re-oppose each other, while Paul Nicholls, who saddled Al Ferof to victory in
the November highlight, may be represented by Tataniano (11st 10lb),
course specialist Poquelin (11st 10lb), Cristal Bonus (11st 7lb),
Ghizao (11st 5lb) and Unioniste (9st 8lb).
Other contenders among the
35 entries going forward include Hunt Ball (11st 7lb), who scored in the
Pulteney Land Investments Novices' Handicap Chase at The Festival in March but
was pulled up on his seasonal return in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, Ascot Grade
Three winner Roberto Goldback (11st 11lb) and Astracad (10st
8lb), who won at The International in 2011.
The Paul Stewart IronSpine
Charity Challenge Gold Cup is being sponsored by the Stewart Family, headed by
well-known businessman and racehorse owner Andy Stewart, who has enjoyed
tremendous success with four-time Ladbrokes World Hurdle hero Big Buck's.
One of Andy's sons, Paul,
suffered a severe spinal injury in a snowboarding accident in December, 2008,
and was paralysed from the waist down. He was initially told by doctors that he
would never walk again but he is embarking on a remarkable challenge next year
when participating in an Ironman/Quadathalon-style event.
Twitter: @CheltenhamRaces
THE PAUL
STEWART IronSpine CHARITY CHALLENGE GOLD CUP
Class 1,
Grade 3, £100,000 Total Prize Fund. 2.30pm, Cheltenham, Saturday,
December 15, 2012. For 4yo+, 2m 5f. Penalties: after November 2, a winner of a
chase 5lb (no penalty to increase a horse's weight above 11st 12lb). Entries
closed November 27, entries revealed November 28 (36 entries),
weights revealed December 5. Five-day confirmation stage December 10, final
48-hour declaration stage 10.00am, December 13. Form figures supplied by
Weatherbys and are correct up to and including the racing of Monday, December
3.
Form
Horse Age/Wgt Owner Trainer
6F25-21 WISHFULL
THINKING 9-11-12 Diana Whateley Philip Hobbs
2000-1U ROBERTO
GOLDBACK (IRE) 10-11-11 Simon Munir Nicky Henderson
1F314-3 MENORAH
(IRE) 7-11-10 Diana Whateley Philip Hobbs
1/35/1-50
TATANIANO (FR) 8-11-10 The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls
5U26-4P POQUELIN
(FR) 9-11-10 The Stewart Family Paul Nicholls
05110-P CALGARY
BAY (IRE) 9-11-08 Camilla Radford Mick Channon
11113-P HUNT
BALL (IRE) 7-11-07 Anthony Knott Keiran Burke
0/11P2-1 CRISTAL
BONUS (FR) 6-11-07 Robin Geffen Paul Nicholls
2/460-13 GHIZAO
(GER) 8-11-05 The Johnson & Stewart Families Paul Nicholls
02105-P QUANTITATIVEEASING
(IRE) 7-11-03 J P McManus Nicky Henderson
3201-P4 HECTOR'S
CHOICE (FR) 8-10-12 James and Jean Potter Richard Lee
1345P-2 WALKON
(FR) 7-10-12 McNeill Family Alan King
00/015U- TATENEN
(FR) 8-10-11 The Stewart Family Richard Rowe
06050-6 TARTAK
(FR) 9-10-09 Power Panels Electrical Systems Ltd Tim Vaughan
03/10-13 NADIYA
DE LA VEGA (FR) 6-10-09 J P McManus Nicky Henderson
21021-4 ASTRACAD
(FR) 6-10-08 Raymond Mould Nigel Twiston-Davies
11323F- NOTUS
DE LA TOUR (FR) 6-10-08 D Bradshaw, J Dale, P Deal, J Smee, W Walsh David
Pipe
124-5P6 MICHEAL
FLIPS (IRE) 8-10-06 Martin Tedham Andy Turnell
F/4010F- QUISCOVER
FONTAINE (FR) 8-10-05 J P McManus Willie Mullins IRE
204-311 THE
RAINBOW HUNTER 8-10-04 May We Never Be Found Out Partnership Kim Bailey
51PP-34 RENARD
(FR) 7-10-04 ROA Arkle Partnership Venetia Williams
313-51P GOLDEN
CHIEFTAIN (IRE) 7-10-02 Brocade Racing Colin Tizzard
3U040-0 DIVERS
(FR) 8-10-02 Let's Live Racing Ferdy Murphy
P1110-3 QUINCY
DES PICTONS (FR) 8-10-01 Stephen Spence Alan Jones
531U/-50 BAKBENSCHER
9-10-01 Three Line Whip Alan King
03602-3 DE
BOITRON (FR) 8-10-01 Mrs J Morgan & Lindsey Shaw Ferdy Murphy
F-211FP KINGSMERE
7-10-01 Hamer & Hawkes Henry Daly
305330
IMPERIAL SHABRA (IRE) 8-10-01 Rita Shah Oliver Brady IRE
1110-2P TRIOLO
D'ALENE (FR) 5-10-00 Mr & Mrs Sandy Orr Nicky Henderson
123F2-0 HAVINGOTASCOOBYDO
(IRE) 7-9-13 D Bishop C Bowkley M Parker M Thornton Martin Keighley
P00P0-2 HELL'S
BAY (FR) 10-9-13 A G Fear & A J Norman Keiran Burke
216PP-4 CARRICKBOY
(IRE) 8-9-09 Trevor Hemmings Venetia Williams
4U1F10 ROMANESCO
(FR) 7-9-09 Annie Flora Joan Bowles Gordon Elliott IRE
P/12432/-
HAVE YOU SEEN ME (IRE) 9-9-09 The Maple Hurst Partnership Nigel
Twiston-Davies
165-113 UNIONISTE
(FR) 4-9-08 John Hales Paul Nicholls
35
entries remain
3
Irish-trained
THE
FOLLOWING ENTRY HAS BEEN SCRATCHED:
THE KNOXS (IRE)
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