Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup day is almost upon us and the rain-softened ground means the distance of 3 miles 2 furlongs plus will not be for the faint of heart or for those horses whose stamina is in doubt.
In the Grade 1 feature race tomorrow (3.30pm), the favourite Galopin Des Champs oozes class but he is not guaranteed to stay the trip, especially in these conditions. In contrast, both Noble Yeats, last year’s Grand National winner, and Stattler, last year’s winner of the National Hunt Challenge Cup, will relish a stamina test but may not have the class required to win this championship contest.
I put up two horses for the race all of two months ago. Hewick, a horse that needs good ground to be at his best, has drifted in price on account of the recent rain and would prefer in to dry up overnight. In contrast, Royal Pagaille wants as much of the wet stuff as possible as he can’t have the going soft enough.
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