FRENCH
IMPORT MAIL DE BIEVRE EXCITES GEORGE
The
countdown to The Festival 2013 heats up today with the unveiling of the entries
for the Grade One Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup, which takes place on Gold Cup
Day, Friday, March 15 and boasts a record prize fund of £550,000 (up from
£500,000 in 2012).
A total of 40 entries have been received for chasing's Blue Riband, which takes
place over an extended three and a quarter miles, with Nicky Henderson
responsible for five contenders. The master of Seven Barrows looks to hold a
particularly strong hand as his hopefuls include Betfred's 3/1 favourite Bobs
Worth, winner of this season's Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury and
unbeaten in four outings at Cheltenham including at the last two Festivals.
Henderson has also entered the 2011 scorer Long Run, who finished third
in 2012 and won the King George VI Chase for a second time at Kempton Park on
Boxing Day. Finian's Rainbow, successful at The Festival last season in
the Sportingbet Queen Mother Champion Chase, could step up in distance, while
Henderson's two other entries are last season's Ryanair Chase scorer Riverside
Theatre and Roberto Goldback.
The days of Kauto Star and Denman may now be over but reigning champion trainer
Paul Nicholls still has a strong team for 2013, including Silviniaco Conti,
who recorded an impressive first Grade One victory in the Betfair Chase at Haydock
Park in November and the revitalised Tidal Bay, who defeated Ireland's
best chasers in the Grade One Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on December 28. Kauto
Stone, Kauto Star's half-brother, and What A Friend complete
Nicholls' quartet of entries.
A dozen entries hail from Ireland, including Betfred's 5/1 second favourite Sir
Des Champs. The Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old landed the Jewson
Novices' Chase at last year's Festival and was a staying-on fourth behind Tidal
Bay at Leopardstown. Flemenstar appeared to find three miles the limit
of his stamina in the Lexus Chase, when he finished a close third to Tidal Bay
and First Lieutenant, but trainer Peter Casey has stated he wishes to
give the eight-year-old another try at the distance in the Hennessy Gold Cup at
Leopardstown on February 9 before deciding on a target at The Festival.
An intriguing entry is the Tom George-trained Mail De Bievre. The
eight-year-old was a high-class performer in France, where his successes included
the Grade Two Prix Murat over two miles and six furlongs in April, 2010.
However, Mail De Bievre has not been seen out since finishing fourth over
hurdles at the same venue in September, 2011.
George said today: "Mail De Bievre has been with me for a couple of
months. He came over from France a year ago and did his pre-training with Chloe
Roddick before joining me.
"He is a very exciting horse to have in the yard. He had an injury but
touch wood hopefully he has got over that. We are just taking things one step
at a time with him. So far, everything is going according to plan.
"The plan is to go for the Denman Chase at Newbury with him as that looks
a good place to start. You don't know with horses until they run, but he looks
right and is showing us all the right signs. Newbury will tell us where we are
with him.
"His form in France is the best. I asked the handicapper just out of
interest what his mark would be and they said as his last mark in France was 175,
they would now rate him 160 due to the time he has been off the track."
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