The 158-rated Aso heads the weights on 11st 12lb for the £130,000 Grade 3 Paddy Power Gold Cup run over 2m 4f at Cheltenham on Saturday, November 14. Trained by Venetia Williams, this 10-year-old has produced some of his best performances at the home of jumps racing. After beating Happy Diva in the a Grade 3 contest at the beginning of 2019 he went on to run a cracker when a 1 1/4 length second to Frodon in the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Aso faces no easy task under his welter burden against some unexposed and up and coming sorts, but Seven horses have carried top weight to victory in the Paddy Power Gold Cup – the latest being Al Ferof in 2012 for Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh. Nicholls’s seven entries this year include Paddy Power’s 5/1 favourite Saint Sonnet (11st 1lb), who has not raced since finishing seventh behind Samcro in the Grade 1 Marsh Novices’ Chase at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. A strong team for Nicholls also features Grade 2 Haldon Gold Cup victor Greaneteen (11st 5lb, excluding 5lb penalty), recent Chepstow scorer Grand Sancy (11st 3lb) and last year’s runner-up Brelan d’As (10st 11lb).
Nigel Twiston-Davies is the most successful current trainer in the Paddy Power Gold Cup with four wins. The Gloucestershire handler’s three entries include second season chasers Al Dancer (11st 8lb) and Good Boy Bobby (11st), who have been in winning action this season at Newton Abbot and Bangor respectively.
Last year’s Paddy Power Gold Cup heroine Happy Diva has been allotted 11st 5lb. Cyfor Malta (1998 and 2002) is the most recent dual winner of the race, though you have to go back to Bradbury Star in 1993 and 1994 for the latest back-to-back scorer.
The Kerry Lee trained nine-year-old mare almost recorded a famous double at Cheltenham last season, landing this before going down by just over a length when second to Simply The Betts (Harry Whittington, 11st 11lb) in the Grade 3 Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate at the Cheltenham Festival.
Happy Diva has had just one run this season, when looking ring rusty and finishing a promising fifth in a Listed handicap chase at Wetherby on October 30, and is a 20/1 shot with the sponsors.
Lee said:
“Happy Diva has come out of Wetherby in fine fettle. She will come on plenty for that run and the Paddy Power Gold Cup is once again the aim.
“We were delighted with Wetherby, as she showed every inch of her usual zest and enthusiasm for the game. She is a fantastic horse, and we are lucky to have her. She is so consistent and professional – she is just a pleasure to have in the yard. It was very special to see her win the Paddy Power Gold Cup and hopefully she can go close again. I only train around 20 horses and to be on the biggest stage in the biggest handicap pre-Christmas is very special.”
Mister Fisher (11st 9lb) is my personal fancy for the race.The Nicky Hendrson trained six-year-old opened his account over fences at the track when landing the Ryeman Chase by 1 1/4 lengths from Goodbye Bobby before showing a smart turn of foot to follow-up in a Grade 2 at Doncaster when beating Al Dancer by a length.
He went on to round off the campaign with a fine staying on fourth to Samcro in the Grade 1 Marsh Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and after just four starts over the larger obstacles remains open to stacks more improvement.
Mister Fisher is a horse that I think needs keeping firmly onside this season, so odds of 12’1 with the sponsor – who are paying five places – he makes plenty of each-way appeal in what promises to be a cracking renewal of the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
One notable absentee is Imperial Aura who had been joint-favourite for the race after his emphatic win on return to action at Carlisle in the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase.
His handler Kim Bailey has also announced he will not run in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury on November 28 either. He does, however, have a couple of races in mind for the exciting seven-year-old who ended last season with victory in the novices’ handicap chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Bailey wrote on his website:
“Imperial Aura will not be running in the Paddy Power at Cheltenham next weekend. It is too soon after his stunning win last Sunday at Carlisle. There are other races for him that might suit – Ascot on the 21st of November, the Chanelle Pharma Chase, and then there is the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon on December 6.”