Gift heading straight to Gold Cup
The 2004 Stayers’ Hurdle hero, a faller on his last chase start at Warwick, was being considered as a possible for the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup Chase at Haydock on Saturday.
But after much consideration, trainer Jonjo O’Neill and owner Robert Lester decided that going fresh to the Festival represents the best line of attack for their enigmatic gelding.
“We both decided with it being four weeks on Friday until the big day that we’ll just keep him ticking over instead of finding another race,” said Lester.
“He’s in good old form with himself and he’s had one or two little niggles which we’ve now sorted out.
“He goes well fresh and we’ll go there in good spirits. We just didn’t want our big race to be Haydock on Saturday.
“You must keep in mind he only had one prep race when he beat Baracouda in the Stayers’.
“Jonjo is quite bullish about it and said he will produce him as good on the day as when he beat Baracouda at Cheltenham.”
Iris’s Gift is currently a best price of 20-1 to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 17.
Meanwhile Jessica Harrington has yet to decide whether to send Studmaster to Sandown for the Sunderlands Imperial Cup on March 11 or go straight to the Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival six days later.
The six-year-old Pierse Hurdle winner enhanced his reputation with another eyecatching success at Leopardstown on Sunday.
“He’s fine after yesterday’s race but the handicapper hasn’t been very nice to him as he has gone up 16lb,” said the County Kildare handler.
“It could be the Imperial Cup or the County Hurdle next - depending on which one he gets in with the best weight.
* The Game Spirit Chase, set to be one of the highlight’s of Newbury’s abandoned weekend card, will now be run at Lingfield on Saturday. The contest will take place at 3pm and will form part of an eight-race card. The Aon Chase, also due to take place at Newbury, will not be rescheduled.
