Gift out to boost Gold Cup claim
The nine-year-old faces just four rivals as he looks to resume winning ways in the totepool “A Better Way To Bet” Novices’ Chase.
The extended three-mile contest looks like being the Jonjo O’Neill-trained gelding’s last run in novice company as he is set to step up in class for the Letheby & Christopher Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham at the end of the month.
The Gold Cup, for whch Iris’s Gift is a 20-1 chance with the sponsors, is the ultimate target for the 2004 Stayers’ Hurdle winner. Owner Robert Lester said: “I’ve been down to Jonjo’s this morning and watched him working. He looks in great form.
“He went up both gallops and looks very well. He was messing about at the bottom of the gallops knocking the poles over.”
Iris’s Gift looked a smart recruit to chasing when winning his first three novice events in the autumn. Although beaten on his latest start by subsequent Feltham Chase winner Darkness at Newbury in November, he was not found not to be quite right afterwards.
He took part in a schooling mission with stablemate Keen Leader after racing at Haydock last Saturday and jumped well until parting company with his work rider at the ninth fence.
After that mishap, Lester believes the time has come for Iris’s Gift to live up to his reputation.
“If he’s as good as what some people think he is, he has to start doing it,” the Cheshire publican went on. “It’s getting round to that time when we have to up the ante. He’s got to put a good performance in tomorrow and then we can go on to the Cotswold Chase and find out a bit more.
“Whatever happens tomorrow or in the Cotswold we’ll still go for the Gold Cup. If you get beat you have to take it on the chin and get on with it.
“If he does gets beat tomorrow it’ll be a good horse that beats him.”
Lester singled out the Sue Smith-trained Rebel Rhythm as the main danger.
“He’ll have a nice little spin round tomorrow but Rebel Rhythm’s a useful horse,” he added.
And like Iris’s Gift, Rebel Rhythm also holds an entry in the Gold Cup.
The seven-year-old opened his account over fences with a 25-length victory over only other finisher Trisons Star at Wetherby last month.
Alan King is pleased there is only a small field as Halcon Genelardais makes his chasing debut.
“I’ve had to throw him in at the deep end but there are no easy options for these novices,” said the Barbury Castle trainer.
“There are so few opportunities for novice chasers these days and we had to start somewhere.
“There are only five runners so he should get a clear view of his fences and he won’t be crowded. But he has had two runs over hurdles this season and gone up in the handicap after each one without winning.”
Ferdy Murphy’s Leading Man and the Paul Webber-trained No Full complete the line-up.
Murphy is worried there might not be enough cut in the ground for his runner, who followed up a victory at Wetherby early last month by finishing fifth to The Listener at Cheltenham two weeks ago.
The West Witton trainer said: “I’m not sure if it’s going to be soft enough for Leading Man but we want to give him some more experience.
“He really is a lovely horse who jumps well and stays. We are stepping him back up in trip to three miles as it was only two miles and five furlongs when he ran against The Listener at Cheltenham.
“We went to Cheltenham because he has an entry in the SunAlliance Chase and the owner quite rightly thought we should get the horse some course experience.
“It’s a hot race with Iris’s Gift in it but we hope he will go well.”
