Dan Skelton has three of the 19 six-day acceptors for Saturday’s Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham.
They are Madara, winner of the Sun Racing Plate at the Festival in March, new recruit Blueking D’Oroux who was second in the Grade One William Hill Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree on his final start for Paul Nicholls, and Riskintheground, third in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby recently.
Favourite with the sponsors is the Ben Pauling-trained Meetmebythesea, the subject of a positive bulletin on Monday from his handler and successful in the Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase in the spring.
Nicholls has won the race four times and has a leading contender again this time with Quebecois who finished second on his seasonal return at Newton Abbot.
Henry de Bromhead provides the Irish challenge with July Flower and Zurich standing their ground on Monday, while O’Moore Park, a winner at the Showcase Meeting, and Jamie Snowden’s Torneo, are others prominent in the antepost market.
Paddy Power Gold Cup – sponsors bet: 7/2 Meetmebythesea, 9/2 Madara, 5 Blueking D’Oroux, Quebecois, 8 O’Moore Park, 9 Zurich, 12 July Flower, Torneo, 14 Matata, 20 Johnnywho, Norn Iron, Release The Beast, 33 Guard Your Dreams, Passing Diamond, 40 Issam, 50 Classic Maestro, Moon d’Orange, Riskintheground, 100 Dunkerque.
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