Gold Cup Tip: Denman

Stop what you are doing and put on the TV at 3.20 on Friday to enjoy the highlight of the jumps season: The Cheltenham Gold Cup.

It’s difficult to write something that hasn’t already been said. We have three former Gold Cup winners contesting the race – Denman, Kauto Star and Imperial Commander. Plus we have the young pretender to the throne, King George VI winner – Long Run.

With the three former champions towards the end of their careers this Gold Cup could mark the changing of the guard. But I think there is going to be a twist.

Hype surrounding 2008 champion Denman, has been strangely lacking this year. At eleven years old it is suggested his best years are behind him. There might be some truth in that but of the old guard he has put in the best performance this season.

His third in the Hennessy was as good as any of his previous wins. Note he was racing off an official rating of 182, which is 8lbs higher than his win in 2009 and 21lbs higher than his 2007 victory. No wonder he failed to win. The two horses who finished ahead of him were smart and in receipts of nearly a couple of stone. Sadly Diamond Harry and Burton Port won’t be at Cheltenham, which makes Denman’s task slightly easier.

It should also be noted that the Racingpost’s Topspeed gave Denman his highest ever rating of 183 for his Hennessey run, five more than his Gold Cup win. Paul Nicholls gave him plenty of time off to get over that mammoth run so the fact he arrives at the Festival without a run in 111 days shouldn’t be a concern.

In his seven runs at Cheltenham, Denman has never finished outside the top two, and that includes three Gold Cups. His Hennessey run shows the spark is still there, he loves the track and at 7/1 he makes a cracking each way bet.