Gold Cup battle for top trainers
Shortest in the betting is Inca Trail, the general 5-1 second favourite behind French raider Kelami.
A full-brother to Best Mate, Inca Trail will be ridden by Ruby Walsh, who coaxed him home with hands and heels to score cosily at the Esher track last month.
The Ditcheat handler also saddles Grand National runner-up Royal Auclair and Whitenzo, another recent Sandown winner.
However, the multiple champion trainer and owner combination of Pipe and David Johnson will also be out in force and are responsible for seven of the 19 runners.
The pair are represented by Therealbandit, Comply Or Die, Stormez, Iris Bleu, Jurancon, Maximize and Zeta’s River.
With so many runners, Johnson finds it hard to pick out his best choices but has faith in his jockey bookings, notably with retained rider Timmy Murphy plumping for Comply Or Die, pulled up in last weekend’s Scottish National.
Johnson also gives a chance to the unexposed novice Zeta’s River, who has been first or second in his last four runs.
He said: “Timmy Murphy has chosen Comply Or Die so he would have a good chance, while Tony (McCoy) rides Iris Bleu and he has won around Sandown before, so he could go well.
“One I have a sneaking feeling for is Zeta’s River.”
