Pipe happy with McCoy ‘reject’ Cyfor Malta
Last year he opted for the Martin Pipe-trained favourite Chicuelo, who pulled up in the race won by his stable companion Cyfor Malta.
The champion jockey won the race when it was known as the Murphy’s Gold Cup on Cyfor Malta back in 1998, but has once again deserted that horse, this time in favour of It Takes Time.
Like Cyfor Malta, It Takes Time is owned by David Johnson and trained by Pipe.
“I like Cyfor Malta. I know he is higher in the weights, but Cheltenham is his track,” said Pipe, who has won the prestigious contest six times in the past with Beau Ranger (1987), Challenger Du Luc (1996), Cyfor Malta (1998), Lady Cricket (2000), Shooting Light (2001) and Cyfor Malta (2002).
“This time last year I thought Chicuelo was a certainty and I told AP as much. But this time I left it entirely up to him and he has chosen It Takes Time.”
It Takes Time was campaigned mostly over three miles plus last season and will be dropping back to an extended two and a half miles in today’s £110,000 showpiece.
“Cyfor is in excellent form,” said Johnson. “With It Takes Time, we’ve brought him back in trip. It isn’t necessarily the trainer’s idea, it’s my idea really, so if it’s a failure tomorrow it’ll be down to me.”
Nicky Henderson saddles Fondmort, who has been backed down to favouritism.
Fondmort won last season’s Tripleprint Gold Cup at Cheltenham and will be ridden by Mick Fitzgerald, who reached 1,000 winners in Britain at Sandown last Saturday.
“We got a gallop into Fondmort at Kempton the other day, which was great. He worked very well there and he seems in super form at home,” said Henderson. “The trip and the track we know he’ll like from the Tripleprint last year. He is very well in himself and you’ve got to be optimistic.”
Last year’s runner-up Poliantas, who beat Fondmort by 10 lengths at Cheltenham in April, and Exit Swinger, formerly placed twice in the race for Pipe, both represent Paul Nicholls.
JP McManus has two representatives in the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Master Tern and Risk Accessor, who is with Christy Roche. However, connections have warned that Master Tern will only run if there is significant overnight rain.
