With the Cheltenham Gold Cup looking increasingly open, a selection of Sporting Life experts reveal their long-range fancy.
The Real Whacker (33/1)
Andrew Asquith
The Real Whacker was a revelation over fences last season, leaving his hurdles form well behind as he won all three of his starts at Cheltenham, notably the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at the Festival.
He beat Gerri Colombe that day, who has since franked the form and is a general 4/1 shot for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, whereas The Real Whacker can be backed at a much bigger 33/1. That is because of his underwhelming return to action from a BHA mark of 162 in the Paddy Power Gold Cup over an inadequate two and a half miles.
The Real Whacker was fancied to run a much better race according to the betting and news broke not long after that he suffered a slight injury during the race when he was struck into and finished lame on his right fore. Thankfully, it isn’t too serious, and the plan is for him to run in the King George on Boxing Day. That test may not be ideal for him, either, but a good performance will see his odds shorten and I’d much rather back him to small stakes at this stage than anything else shorter in the market, especially as he comes to life at Cheltenham and will relish the Gold Cup trip.
Corach Rambler (33/1)
Tony McFadden
Corach Rambler has cut little ice on either start this season but it's easy enough to overlook those efforts as he seemed very rusty on his return at Kelso and then, while he wasn't disgraced in the Betfair Chase, he found Haydock's sharp track failing to place enough emphasis on stamina.
Corach Rambler is better judged on what he showed in the spring last season, when he beat subsequent Punchestown Gold Cup and John Durkan winner Fastorslow in the Ultima and then won the Grand National with much more in hand than the margin of two and a quarter lengths would suggest after idling with the race in the bag.
Corach Rambler has won on all three starts at Cheltenham - albeit twice on the Old Course in the Ultima - and a test like the Gold Cup should see him to much better effect than the Betfair Chase. Arguably the only Gold Cup contender who has enhanced their claim this season is Fastorslow, but the discrepancy between his price of 5/1 and the 33/1 available about Corach Rambler looks far too big, for all Fastorslow has improved since failing to give Corach Rambler 4 lb in the Ultima.
Fastorslow (6/1)
David Ord
Its time to side with an emerging star in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup. We have two options at the time of writing with marginal preference for Fastorslow. There’s a chance he hasn’t got anything like the credit he deserves for his Punchestown Gold Cup defeat of Galopin Des Champs in the spring and recent reappearance win in the John Durkan Memorial.
Admittedly the reigning Cheltenham hero wasn’t at his best last month, never jumping with any fluency, but the winner deserves great credit for finding the gears to overhaul Appreciate It over a trip short of his best and in a race where they were quickening to the line. We know he handles Cheltenham but we don’t know yet what his ceiling is. The suspicion is it’s high enough to win him a Gold Cup at the first attempt – which is so often the time to win one.
Galopin Des Champs (3/1)
Ian Ogg
Noble Yeats will only be nine in March and could conceivably improve on last season's fourth at 14/1; he's 40/1 but there are only three places in the ante-post markets and I don't see him winning it.
I wasn't put off by Galopin Des Champs' return in the John Durkan and the drift to 3/1 makes him a fair price for my money. I'm not convinced Fastorslow is a definite stayer whereas Gerri Colombe seems certain to relish the Gold Cup test; however, he's only a point longer than the titleholder and it feels as though all of his potential has been built into that price.
Galopin Des Champs (3/1)
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Adam Houghton
Galopin Des Champs looked like a horse with the potential to win three Gold Cups when he ran away with his first one in March, showing himself to be an outstanding chaser as he made it six wins from as many completed starts over fences. Admittedly, that record now lies in tatters following two defeats at Punchestown, but the dream of him becoming a multiple Gold Cup winner isn't one I'm ready to give up on just yet.
His reappearance run in the John Durkan certainly wasn't that of a horse whose days at the top table are done with, passing the post less than two lengths behind Fastorslow – one of his chief market rivals for the blue riband – despite having jumped markedly worse than that rival over a trip probably short of his optimum nowadays.
I'd be expecting to see a much sharper version of Galopin Des Champs back at three miles next time, perhaps in the Irish Gold Cup, and a dominant performance there could make the current odds of 3/1 look very generous for a mere seven-year-old (rising eight) who looked to have the world at his feet not even nine months ago.
Gerri Colombe (4/1)
Matt Brocklebank
Plenty of angles to approach this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup and, the way this division is shaping up pre-Christmas, it's tempting to look left-field for something lurking in the shadows.
A Plus Tard, a brilliant winner of the race in 2022, is as big as 66/1 which would look massive if Henry De Bromhead could get him back to full health and rekindle that desire which was so obviously missing throughout last season, while the other Cheveley Park horse, Allaho, would not be a 40/1 shot were Willie Mullins to warm to the idea of this race being his Festival target (which does look unlikely, admittedly).
However, back in the real world, the two who appeal most at present at L'Homme Presse and Gerri Colombe.
Venetia Williams has already won the Betfair Chase with Royale Pagaille and must be getting seriously excited over the return of L'Homme Presse, though I doubt we'll see him in the King George again this time after his jumping out to the left last Boxing Day. Something like the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham could be suitable and a win there would see his current 14/1 come falling down.
But I honestly don't have too many arguments with the 4/1 quotes about Gordon Elliott's latest star Gerri Colombe.
He really should have beaten The Real Whacker in the Brown Advisory last season, having been given a shade too much to do, and is otherwise undefeated from his nine NH starts.
Beating the Ryanair Chase winner Envoi Allen at Down Royal in November was a massive performance and showed he belongs in the big league. Coming over to run in the King George may be the easier option than staying at home for the Savills, but I'd expect him to be very hard to beat in either race and it probably won't be long before he's more like a 9/4 shot in this market.
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