Royale Pagaille is back in work and will head straight to the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup after recovering from injury, trainer Venetia Williams has confirmed.
The Rich Ricci-owned nine-year-old was runner-up to Bravemansgame in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, staying on nicely under Tom Scudamore in the three-mile Grade One event.
Winner of the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock last season, he went on to finish fifth to A Plus Tard in the Gold Cup and has had just two starts since.
He was somewhat fortunate to claim second place on his last run, with Williams’ other runner, L’Homme Presse, unseating Charlie Deutsch at the last fence when a close-up second.
However, the run can be marked up a little, given that Royale Pagaille sustained an injury in the race.
Williams has now run out of time to give him a Gold Cup prep, for which he is a 40/1 chance with Sky Bet (non-runner no-bet).
Speaking at Hereford on Monday, the trainer said: “Royale Pagaille is fine.
"He needed time after the King George because he got a wound which wasn’t superficial, so that’s why it has taken quite a while.
“He is back on the gallops now and he will go straight to the Gold Cup. We haven’t got time to go for anything else.”
More from Sporting Life
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org