Richard Hobson remains confident last year’s December Gold Cup hero Fugitif is capable of picking up another big prize, especially after receiving a bit of help from the handicapper.
The Gloucestershire handler has not yet fully committed the nine-year-old to defending his title at Cheltenham on Saturday week, but reports him in good health following a Paddy Power Gold Cup fifth behind old rival Il Ridoto on his seasonal reappearance.
Fugitif was fourth in the same race last season before going on to strike gold a month later off a mark of 151. He was raised 6lb for that success, but is now back down to 150.
Hobson said: “We’re not sure yet whether to go there or wait for January 1, but we’ll confirm on Monday and go from there, I guess.
“He just got left a little bit at the start again, so he had to make up all that ground and a bit like most of ours, he might have just needed the run.
“Trying to get a horse of his size and stature ready first time out is quite a hard task, especially as it was a very competitive, big Saturday afternoon race.
“He was a bit more ready last year for the Paddy Power, but cheekpieces lit him up and that’s why he was probably only fourth. I know he was actually beaten less this year, but he overraced last year.
“But the run is going to bring him on massively and he’s got a couple of pounds back in hand and he won’t meet Il Ridoto on the same mark anymore.
“We’ve just been completely up against it against him constantly because we’ve been giving stacks of weight away every time, but now he’s been put up seven and we’ve been dropped two, so we’re starting to meet him on more of a level playing field.
“He’s a big old unit and there’ll be another big race in him soon hopefully, whether that’s defending his title a week on Saturday or further down the line.”
Hobson was also happy to get Some Scope back on track with a fourth-placed finish in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle after he was pulled up at Cheltenham in October.
The six-year-old landed a Catterick and Doncaster double last winter before finishing a fine second in the Grimthorpe on Town Moor.
Reflecting on Saturday’s effort, Hobson said: “It was his first proper run of the season and he blew quite hard, as you can imagine because they went so fast.
“I would say that will put him spot on now for the Rowland Meyrick (at Wetherby) on Boxing Day and then whether we go back for the Grimthorpe again or if he has a race in between, we’ll see. The better the ground, the better it is for him.”
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