Weights Nicholls hopeful tops list for Cheltenham showpiece
MASTER Tommytucker and Simply The Betts top the weights on 11st 12lb for the £105,000 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup, at Cheltenham on the second day of The International, Saturday, December 12.
Master Tommytucker, one of six contenders for Paul Nicholls, the most successful trainer in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup with five wins, was imperious on his latest start when trouncing Good Boy Bobby (Nigel Twiston-davies, 11st 1lb) by 15 lengths in a graduation chase at Haydock Park on November.
Paddy Power Gold Cup hero Coole Cody (Evan Williams) has been allotted 10st 12lb in his quest to become just the fourth horse in 57 years to win The November Meeting centrepiece and Caspian Caviar Gold Cup in the same season.
The Paddy Power Gold Cup form is well represented, with five of the six other finishers engaged - Al Dancer (Nigel Twiston-davies, 11st 9lb), Kauto Riko (Tom Gretton, 10st 11lb), Sky Pirate (Jonjo O’neill, 10st 3lb), Simply The Betts (Harry Whittington) and Aso (Venetia Williams, 11st 10lb).
2019 Paddy Power Gold Cup heroine Happy Diva (Kerry Lee) has been allotted 11st 4lb. She could attempt to become the sixth horse to win the Paddy Power Gold Cup and Caspian Caviar Gold Cup in different seasons.
Northern challenger Windsor Avenue (Brian Ellison, 11st 3lb) is set to make his handicap debut after an encouraging second behind Kim Bailey’s form horse Imperial Aura in the Listed Colin Parker Memorial Chase at Carlisle on 2 November.
Two horses who were in winning action at Newbury last week, Clondaw Castle (Tom George, 11st 10lb) and Caribean Boy (Nicky Henderson, 11st 9lb), are towards the head of the weights.
Other high profile contenders include Caribean Boy’s stablemate Mister Fisher (11st 10lb), who pulled up when fancied for the Paddy Power Gold Cup, plus recent Ascot handicap scorers First Flow (Kim Bailey, 11st 9lb) and Espoir de Guye (Venetia Williams, 11st 5lb).
Chatham Street Lad (Michael Winters), the sole Irish-trained contender, has been given 10st 10lb after winning a handicap chase at Cork on 22 November.
The next acceptance stage for the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup is on Monday, (December 7) when the entries for the other contests on day two of The International, headed by the £112,000 Unibet International Hurdle, will also be known.