Denman team confident of big Aintree run

PAUL Nicholls believes Denman will be “very hard to beat” as he bids to get off the mark for the season in the totesport Bowl at Aintree today.

The nine-year-old looked to have the steeplechasing world very much at his feet when running out a brilliant winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup last year but things have not gone entirely to plan for ’The Tank’ so far this term.

A fibrillating heart problem caused his seasonal reappearance to be delayed and even when he did return at Kempton in February, he looked a shadow of his former self as he was left trailing in the wake of Madison Du Berlais.

However, his second to brilliant stablemate Kauto Star in the blue riband at Prestbury Park last month was much more like it and having made significant progress, it looks ominous for his Aintree opponents.

Nicholls said: “While the track is tight enough for him, he is at least going the right way round.

“He has improved enormously since Cheltenham and he will be very hard to beat with a bit of luck.”

Denman’s part-owner Harry Findlay was delighted with his pride and joy’s latest Cheltenham effort considering all the problems he has had this season, and already has one eye on a rematch with Kauto Star in a year’s time.

“He ran a monster of a race at Cheltenham under different tactics than the time he won it,” said Findlay.

“The run told us all what we were hoping to find out, that everything is still there, and I personally can’t wait for next year’s Gold Cup.

“If he could get there for a rematch with Kauto Star it would be great for the game as well as great for Paul and everyone at the yard.”

Exotic Dancer was not beaten far into third in the Gold Cup and Barry Simpson, racing manager to the owner Sir Robert Ogden, anticipates another bold showing on Merseyside.

“He’s come out of Cheltenham well and we have been pleased with his preparation,” said Simpson.

“We’ve got a bit to make up on Denman but we will see how we go. There should be a good, even pace I would have thought, so the race should be run to suit.

“He’s in great form and we couldn’t be happier with the horse so we can’t do any more than that.”

Ogden has two chances of success in the race with Star De Mohaison also set to don the famous silks, although Simpson admits he is on something of a recovery mission having finished well down the field in the Gold Cup.

“He ran very flat at Cheltenham and ran no sort of race,” Simpson continued.

“If he produces his best form in receipt of 10lb then he could go well, but we won’t really know until we run him.”

Charlie Mann’s Air Force One also failed to cut any ice in the feature event of the Festival and Mann is hoping a good run round Aintree will set him up nicely for a trip to Ireland.