The 2025 Coral Gold Cup at Newbury

A maximum field of 24 will face the starter tomorrow for the Coral Gold Cup (2.55 Newbury) run over three miles two furlongs. The going on the chase course is currently described as good to soft but up to 10mm of rain is forecast before the scheduled off-time.

There has only been one Irish winner of the race since 1990 - the Willie Mullins trained Total Recall in 2017 - but this year six of ten Irish trained runners sit at the head the handicap; top weight Monty's Star finished fourth behind Inothewayurthinkin in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March and then third behind Galopin Des Champs in the Punchestown Gold Cup at the end of April.

Current favourite Myretown, trained by Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore, hasn't been seen since making all under Patrick Wadge to win the Ultima at the Festival by 11 lengths off a mark of 127 (The Changing Man second, Grandeur d'Ame twelfth, Victtorino and Katate Dori both pulled up). Irked somewhat by such a blatant display of precocity, the handicapper reacted by raising the gelding 15 pounds. 

Earlier this week Lucinda sounded quite bullish, indicating this race has been the target for some time; her charge has taken in a number of racecourse gallops and she clearly believes there's more improvement to come.

Sporting first-time cheekpieces Resplendent Grey won the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown on the final day of last season (Spanish Harlem fourth, Victtorino seventh, O'Moore Park eleventh). 

He held Handstands over two and a half miles at Carlisle four weeks ago; the cheekpieces weren't in use for that seasonal debut but they're back on tomorrow.

Connections try cheekpieces on The Changing Man for the first time. 

I don't think anyone would begrudge Joe Tizzard's charge a day in the spotlight; the gelding has been a model of consistency - placed in his last seven chase starts - but still has just one chase win to his name, the Reynoldstown at Ascot last February.

The manner in which Katate Dori won last season's Ladbrokes Trophy at Kempton sticks in the mind. 

He beat second placed horse Hyland 15 lengths, with Lowry's Bar pulled up and subsequently reported to have bled from the nose. His mark tomorrow is 12 pounds higher although Dylan Johnson can claim three.

Meanwhile Hyland beat Resplendent Grey conceding three pounds in a Cheltenham novice chase just over 12 months ago. 

Nicky Henderson's charge finished ninth behind Three Card Brag at the same track last month (Inch House sixth), weakening on the approach to the final flight. At the time a lot of the yard's runners needed that first run; the grey seems to appreciate better ground.

Spanish Harlem appears to have benefitted from cheekpieces. 

On his penultimate start, in receipt of six pounds, he beat Three Card Brag four and a half lengths in the Kerry National at Listowel. At level weights here, the pair look evenly matched; both race off career-high marks.

Panic Attack won the Paddy Power Gold Cup over two and a half miles at Cheltenham a fortnight ago. 

Dan Skelton's mare has yet to win over three miles and tries this trip for the first time. Since 2000 only two winners have been aged older than eight: Denman (2009) and Sizing Tennessee (2018).

Third in last year's renewal on seasonal debut, Victtorino tries again off a mark four pounds higher. 

The gelding ran a strange race that day, apparently struggling in rear and not jumping particularly well before making up ground from two out without ever worrying winner Kandoo Kid and Broadway Boy. 

Venetia Williams' charge subsequently won two chases at Ascot, beating The Changing Man on the first occasion. His run in the Ultima (pulled up) is forgiven as he got loose beforehand. The stable won this with Cloudy Glen in 2021 but hasn't been firing on all cylinders so far this year.

Paul Nicholls won this race twice as a jockey, on Broadheath (1986) and Playschool (1987) - both trained by David Barons - and four times as a trainer, with Strong Flow (2003), Denman twice (2007 and 2009) and Kandoo Kid last year.

This year he will be represented by Inch House, described on his blog as a lively outsider who will benefit from the forecast rain. The gelding runs off a mark two pounds out of the handicap.   

To my mind The Doyen Chief may have been outstayed by Deep Cave over three miles on soft ground at Bangor two and a half weeks ago. 

Alan King's charge made a mistake at the last which saw Tom Bellamy lose an iron - he might have prevailed with a better leap at the last but I'm not convinced. Still, every cloud - he's due to go up three pounds but races off 137, the same mark as at Bangor.

Five weeks ago Blizzard Of Oz won at Wexford on his first try beyond two and a half miles. 

Not the best of jumpers, he takes another step up in trip here; speaking on ITV Racing earlier this afternoon Ruby Walsh named this one as probably Willie Mullins' best chance. 

Jockey bookings suggest Gorgeous Tom is the pick of Henry De Bromhead's pair.  

Racing prominently he finished fourth behind Lecky Watson in the Brown Advisory at the Festival and seven weeks later occupied the same position behind Champ Kiely in the three mile novice chase at the Punchestown Festival. The cobwebs were blown away over a shorter trip at Down Royal 28 days ago.

Stablemate Monty's Star carries 12-00 - Mill House carried that same weight to victory in 1963 and Borough Hill Lad in 1984. Arkle won the 1964 and 1965 renewals under a welter burden of 12-07. 

Last Christmas Perceval Legallois won the Listed Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown off 142 (subsequent Grand National winner Nick Rockett fourth, Three Card Brag seventh, Spanish Harlem thirteenth) and then a Listed handicap hurdle at the same track off 135.

Gavin Cromwell's charge was sent off a 10/1 chance for the Aintree Grand National but got no further than the ninth fence.

Philip Hobbs and Johnson White have their team in excellent order - six winners from 24 runs in the past fortnight; Keable won on seasonal debut at the Berkshire track earlier today. 

Lowry's Bar bled when pulled up behind Katate Dori in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Kempton in February. He likes to race up with the pace and his form behind Jagwar at Bangor reads well but speaking after Keable's victory today the handler didn't seem particularly prolix, preferring to highlight the chance of French Ship who goes in the 1.40.

O'Moore Park has yet to win over fences in seven attempts.

On his penultimate start he finished eleventh behind Resplendent Grey over an extended three and a half miles in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown (Spanish Harlem fourth, Victtorino seventh). He appeared to weaken from three out that day so the trip could well be within his range.

Annual Invictus has been off the track 581 days. In this week's RP Weekender Chris Gordon says:

"He's going to come on for his runs this season and he's got a high mark.

"Age is catching up with him a wee bit and they'll be tough races wherever we go off this sort of mark, but we've got to start somewhere and Newbury suits him. 

"He'll probably get a bit tired going into the home straight, which you'd expect with a horse who's had a long time off. His ultimate aim will be the bet365 Gold Cup again."

Earlier today Intense Raffles was 66/1 which I thought quite a big price if the forecast rain were to arrive; he's currently half that price.

Conceding three pounds, this one was only beaten threequarters of a length by Nick Rockett in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse in February. 

However, since moving to Thomas Gibney's yard two years ago, his three wins have all come at Fairyhouse, a right-handed track. He jumped right throughout before being pulled up in the Aintree Grand National but turns up here with the benefit of a prep run at Clonmel three weeks ago. 

At the Trials meeting at Cheltenham in January Moon d'Orange pipped Grandeur d'Ame a short head in a two and a half mile handicap chase; for the most part their best form is around that trip, a comment that also applies to Pic Roc and Riskintheground while A Penny A Hundred goes from out of the handicap. 

A cracking, highly competitive renewal. 

Katate Dori made quite an impression at Kempton in February and had a prep over hurdles at Aintree three weeks ago; with Dylan Johnson claiming three, Sam Thomas' charge gets the vote. The start will be no place for the faint-hearted - I'm hoping to see him race prominently.

Katate Dori is the each-way suggestion, 10/1 generally with bet365 and Unibet among those layers paying six places.

Coral Gold Cup 2023

Today's card at Newbury went ahead and the course covers put back in place after racing. 

Overnight temperatures in West Berkshire could drop to minus five - it looks a close call whether tomorrow's card will survive. The Fighting Fifth meeting at Newcastle has already been called off.

Should the card get the green light, twenty are set to face the starter in the Coral Gold Cup (2.50) run over a distance of three miles two furlongs.

In my book the following aren't guaranteed to stay the trip: Complete Unknown; Stolen Silver; Our Power; Bill Baxter; Datsalrightgino; Zanza; Eldorado Allen; Ga Law; and Shakem Up'Arry.

Cloudy Glen, Bill Baxter, Max Flamingo and Shakem Up'Arry run from out of the handicap.

Dusart comes into the race without a recent preparatory run.

Since 2000 only two horses older than eight have come home in front: Denman (2009) aged nine and Sizing Tennessee (2018) aged ten.

A quick word for the two ten-year-olds in the field.

33/1 shot Cloudy Glen won the 2021 renewal but many thought Remastered posed a significant threat to the winner before taking a crashing fall four from home. 

It's well known that Cloudy Glen is best caught fresh; he posted a decent effort when second behind Malina Girl at Cheltenham 13 days ago.

Remastered was only half a length adrift of Le Milos in last year's renewal. Following wind surgery in the summer, he weakened out of contention in a Pertemps qualifier at Aintree three weeks ago, eventually beaten 24 lengths.

Complete Unknown was market leader for most of the week yet with just five chase starts to his name is the least experienced in the field over the larger obstacles; this will be his first start in a chase with more than ten runners.

Late this afternoon Monbeg Genius moved to the head of the market. 

His third behind Corach Rambler in the Ultima at Cheltenham reads very well. I've just watched his comeback race at Ascot last month - his jumping looked a tad ring rusty on occasions but he was significantly hampered five from home and pulled up when his chance had gone (Eldorado Allen third). 

Mahler Mission - clear when falling two out in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham - came home second behind Thunder Rock over a shorter trip than ideal at Carlisle last time. Stable form is the main concern here with the yard's last winner coming 51 days ago. 

The chance of  fellow Irish raider Stumptown has to be respected given the record of Gavin Cromwell's runners in Britain; Stumptown was beaten a neck by Angels Breath in the Kim Muir in March.

Max Flamingo was pulled up in the Irish Grand National last April and has been running over hurdles since. 

The only Irish trained winner of this race in the past 40 years is Total Recall - ridden by Paul Townend and trained by Willie Mullins - in 2017.

Midnight River won at Aintree in April on his first try beyond an extended two and a half miles (Shakem Up'Arry fourth, Eldorado Allen fifth). 

He stayed on well that day and it looks as though this has been the target since. Dan Skelton won last year's renewal with Le Milos and said of Midnight River:

"Make no mistakes. He is a good horse that is improving.

"The Coral Gold Cup is the big one for him. He was good at Aintree and he improved for that step up in trip which he was entitled to do."

Top weight Ahoy Senor continues to find the odd fence getting in the way; he has to concede a minimum of 12 pounds to all his rivals. 

Denman was the last winner to carry top weight to victory, memorably pulling off the feat in 2009 for a second time with Ruby Walsh up, having won the 2007 renewal with Sam Thomas doing the steering.

Twig beat Ruthless Article and Kinondo Kwetu over this distance in the Summer Cup Handicap Chase at Uttoxeter on his penultimate start and ran well behind Whacker Clan at Cheltenham five weeks ago. There has been money for Ben Pauling's charge through the day.

Kitty's Light won the Eider Chase at Newcastle, the Scottish Grand National at Ayr and the bet365 Chase at Sandown last season yet is quoted 25/1 in the odd place. He's likely to have targets further down the line.

A wide open renewal.

At the time of writing Midnight River is 10/1 with Paddy Power who are paying six places; Midnight River is the each-way selection.

The 2022 Coral Gold Cup at Newbury

The Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup, known as the Ladbrokes Trophy since 2016 and now, for the first time, as the Coral Gold Cup, was first run in 1957 and boasts a long rich history. 

Sixteen have been declared; at the time of writing the going on the chase course is described as good with selective watering set to take place this evening.

Tomorrow's renewal (3.05) may lack a little in quality but the race looks wide open with layers betting 7/1 the field. 

To my mind market leaders Remastered, Gericault Roque and Le Milos would all essentially prefer more cut underfoot. 

Last year, after Remastered took a crashing fall four out when in with every chance, Cloudy Glen took up the running and had just enough left in reserve to repel the challenge of Fiddlerontheroof (Potterman pulled up).

Taking into account Fergus Gillard's three pound claim in last year's race, Remastered goes off the same mark this year (143) whereas Fiddlerontheroof starts off a mark five pounds higher (155) and sports cheekpieces for the first time. 

Remastered had wind surgery over the summer and appeared to show the benefit when winning off 132 over hurdles at Aintree at the beginning of the month. 

However stable jockey Tom Scudamore rides Gericault Roque who finished 25 lengths behind Remastered in that Aintree hurdle race...

Le Milos won well on heavy ground at Bangor 17 days ago.

Irish raider Busselton won the Guinness Kerry National at Listowel two months ago and comes into this having been placed in 11 of his 12 chase starts to date. No five-year-old has previously won this race.

In the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March Corach Rambler weaved his way through the field to come up the hill and beat Gericault Roque (second), Oscar Elite (third), Our Power (fifth) and Lostintranslation (eighth).

Gericault Roque, Oscar Elite and Our Power all raced from out of the handicap that day; Oscar Elite's effort in particular is noteworthy in that he lost second spot in the shadow of the post and was later reported to have bled from the nose.  

Both Gericault Roque and Oscar Elite are weighted to reverse that form - Lucinda Russell's charge is usually given a hold-up ride and recent renewals of this race have tended to go to horses that have raced with the pace. 

Threeunderthrufive has drifted noticeably in the betting and sports first-time cheekpieces having finished third behind Proschema in the West Yorkshire Hurdle four weeks ago (Oscar Elite fifth); Proschema didn't advertise the form when pulled up behind Champ in the Long Distance Hurdle earlier today.

Two who will appreciate the ground are Lord Accord and Our Power.

The former ran well behind Frodon in the Badger Beers at Wincanton last month (Potterman sixth) while Our Power won the Bateaux London Gold Cup at Ascot (Annsam seventh). I was impressed with that effort as I wasn't convinced the gelding would stay the three mile trip.

Sam Thomas has since said:

"There is no question about him staying - I have no doubt at all he'll stay further than three and a quarter miles."

Annsam was a little too fresh for his own good at Ascot and can improve but it's difficult to know what to expect from Lostintranslation.

Connections try a visor on Potterman who slipped early in the Badger Beers and took some time to regain his confidence. Alan King's charge likes top of the ground; writing in the Weekender, the trainer says:

"He shaped as though he'd benefit from headgear so he schooled in a visor on Monday and looked sharp. It would clearly need quite a transformation to make him a major contender on Saturday but it might just help him." 

Fanion D'Estruval races beyond two miles five furlongs for the first time while both Diablo Du Rouhet and Red Happy race from out of the handicap.  

It's possible to make the case for several in the field; from the Ultima form, the two on my shortlist are Oscar Elite and Our Power.

As the former has yet to win a chase and the latter likes the ground, Our Power is the each-way suggestion, 11/1 with Sky Bet who are paying one fifth the odds six places.