We round up the pick of the quotes regarding some of the leading contenders in Saturday's Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.
Ben Pauling - Meetmebythesea
"He came back in late July and everything has gone smoothly. He has been away for a few pieces of work, not on grass, but just to Lambourn.
“He should be as straight as I can get him for his first run, but he is a big horse who will undoubtedly improve, however he should be fit enough to do himself proud.
“This race has been on the agenda since the end of last season. We decided not to take him to Aintree because we thought we would hold his mark for the Paddy Power. However, the second and third from the Jack Richards were first and second in the Grade One Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree, so he went up five or six pounds, which was a shame, but he did what we needed to do last season.
“A mark of 151 is stiff enough to be winning handicaps off, but if he is as promising as we think he is then he should be competitive off that and we will see where we go.
“I don’t really think it makes a difference that this is on the Old course and not the New one as he is very versatile. The Old course is not as galloping as the New course, but he is a versatile horse and Harry (Cobden) will ride him as he wants to ride him, and if he is not too far off the pace when turning in I think he will be grand.
“Harry has ridden him in work, and schooled him, and he couldn’t be happier with him. We are in a great place, and he seems well in himself, so we just hope runs a nice race. I’m looking forward to seeing where we find ourselves this season."
Dan Skelton - Blueking D’Oroux, Madara and Riskintheground
“We have declared Madara, but we are going to look at the ground. His participation is fifty-fifty, but we are trying to be open and clear with everyone.
“If he takes his chance then I believe he has got a great chance. He had a good run the other day over hurdles at Carlisle, so he has that run under his belt. He won the Plate last year, he was then competitive at Aintree afterwards.
“He doesn’t appear that he has got a stone of improvement in him, as his handicap mark has risen and he did get beat off his new handicap mark at Aintree, but he is a fresh horse at the moment, and we have trained him for the early part of the season.
“Last season we ran him a couple of times before he went to the Plate and that did him no harm. We had that in mind as it means you don’t have to be super hard on them at home.
“If he doesn’t go here we might go for the Grade Two at Ascot next weekend and we could also look at the December Gold Cup.
“We have done loads with Blueking D’Oroux. He comes in here off the back of having a good novice chase season, and he was second in a Grade One on his most recent start.
“He was a slightly higher-rated hurdler than he currently is as a chaser. Has he got that bit extra to come over fences, potentially?
“He has not been exposed in handicaps, and his form looked to be improving all the time last season. I’m happy with what I am seeing.
“He is okay on that ground. He isn’t quite as tall as Madara, and he doesn’t have any history of leg issues, and that is why we are being cautious with Madara.
“I think he has got a great chance, but to win off that mark he will have to show his absolute best, but he feels like a horse that is in good form, and we are keeping the cheekpieces on him as well.
“I don’t think I will run many better 50/1 chances than Riskintheground. Young Harry Atkins takes five pounds off his back. He was third in the Charlie Hall the other day, and there is nothing wrong with that form. He knows how to get involved with these type of races.
“I don’t think anyone would be surprised if he finished in the frame at a big price. He has been running over three miles as that is where the races have been, but I actually think this is his sort of trip.”
Paul Nicholls - Quebecois
"He has had a great preparation for this and it has been on my mind for him since he came back in July. He probably should have won last time out, but he went down a pound for that run, which is no bad thing. He has had a prep run, which was always part of the plan for this race, and he likes the ground.
"He did run well in the Ultima over further at the Cheltenham Festival season, but he also ran well over this sort of trip on the New course in January. You can put a line through his Scottish Grand National effort as the ground was too heavy for him, and he wants decent ground.
"He is a staying two-and-a-half miler, which is what you want in a race like this. He would be on a par with the likes of Il Ridoto and Stage Star. He is in good shape, and he has good form around Cheltenham. so there are lots of positives and no negatives."
Darragh O’Keefe (jockey) - July Flower and Zurich
“July Flower is a very good mare that has run well in Grade Ones before. We hope she could be on a nice mark, and hopefully that will be the case.
“She is a mare that runs well fresh, and, like most of the others in the race, this has been her target. She has good form in the locker so we are looking forward to it.
“Although she was beaten over three miles in Grade One on her final start I don’t think it was that trip that beat her as she was placed in a French Champion Hurdle. I just think it came at the end of a long season.
“The form of that race has worked out well with Fleur In The Park, who was second, winning a Grade Two, and the winner, Western Fold, winning the American Grand National.
“She seems in good form at home and hopefully she can give a good account of herself. She has done plenty of work at home, and she is well prepared for it. Although this is competitive, she looks relatively unexposed coming back into a handicap.
“Henry (de Bromhead) also has Zurich in the race, and he should have a good chance as well.
"He has run well around that course and distance before, and he will like this nice ground. He has had a run around Limerick, which he will come on for. He acts well at the track, which is a big plus, so he is definitely a live contender."
Martin Keighley - O’Moore Park
“We ran him over two miles at Uttoxeter first time out as we wanted to get a run into him, but that trip was too short for him.
“He came out of that and won well at Cheltenham last time. That was a special day, but we were hoping he would run a big race.
“He has got some really strong form around Cheltenham, and I still think he will come again for his last run. He went up four pounds for his last win, but Freddie (Keighley) takes off five pounds.
“This has been his target since we picked him up at the sales, so we wanted to make sure we had him spot-on for this.
“I couldn’t be happier with him as I feel that he is in top form, and his form is rock solid. He must go there with an each-way chance.”
Harry Derham - Norn Iron
“He progressed well over fences last season. He won twice very nicely at Sandown Park. I thought his run in defeat at Punchestown was a career best by quite some way
“We have aimed for this race ever since then, but I would have liked the ground to have been softer, however we are looking forward to running him.
“We did have him entered over hurdles at Chepstow last month, but the ground was too quick that day. He has not been away, but he has done plenty of work.
“The race does tick plenty of boxes, but I don’t think it will be soft enough. He will go and run, and I think he is well up to winning one of these big handicap chases this season, but I fear the ground is going to be too dry to be at his best.
“He won around Plumpton as a novice hurdler, and that is up and down and undulating, and Sandown Park is a tough course to jump around.
“My only fear is that he could get rushed off his feet around there on good ground. You have to ride him patiently to give him a bit of a chance, and on good ground, it could be tough to get them back."
Jamie Snowden - Torneo
"Torneo is a cool horse. He came off the Flat, but he barely got two miles over hurdles, however he has proved a different proposition over fences.
"Towards the end of last season he was staying on well in his races so we stepped him back up in trip on his return at Ffos Las. I felt we needed to go there as we were not guaranteed to get a run in the Paddy Power, but that win guaranteed his place in the race.
"That was a nice win at Ffos Las, and he is unexposed over this sort of trip still. There are classier horses in the race, but he is at the right end of the handicap and he won't mind the ground. I'd like to hope he will run well."
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