Lord will come with another late run in Gold Cup defence
Trainer Jim Culloty says a tactical experiment in Sunday’s irish Hennessy has confirmed that Lord Windermere’s best chance of winning a second straight Cheltenham Gold Cup next month is with his tried and tested hold-up tactics.
The nine-year- old’s third place to Carlingford Lough was overshadowed when winning jockey AP McCoy talked about his retirement plans after the race.
But it was an improvement for Lord Windermere on his unplaced run over the same course and distance in the Lexus Chase at Christmas and his 25-length defeat in the 2014 Hennessy, which Culloty sees as positive for Davy russell’s mount. russell employed exaggerated waiting tactics when Lord Windermere won the Gold Cup by a short head last year.
Culloty said: ‘i wanted to see if we could get away with riding him handier as an experiment in case they do not go a blistering gallop in the Gold Cup. Have we got another string to our bow, ride him more aggressively and pull it off?
‘My suspicions were confirmed that he is better held up, which leaves us quite dependant on what the others do. That is not a nice position to be in but at the same time, even if they go steady, they rattle down the hill at Cheltenham and it still turns into a test up to the finish.
‘He hasn’t run a bad race. He wasn’t knackered afterwards and has come out of the race extremely well. it is all systems go to Cheltenham and he goes there with a fighting chance.’
Ladbrokes make Lord Windermere a 14-1 shot to retain the Gold Cup. There is a chance Ted Walshtrained Hennessy runner- up Foxrock could make the race even though he was not an original entry. Owner Barry Connell is considering a supplementary entry.
Meanwhile, a breathing issue which requires surgery has ruled King George Vi Chase third al Ferof out of ascot this weekend and the Cheltenham Festival. The Paul nicholls-trained chaser could be back for the aintree Grand national meeting.