Pipe has fingers crossed for dry week

DAVID Pipe has his fingers crossed the forecast dry week materialises to give Abragante a leading chance in Saturday’s Boylesports.com Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

The master of Pond House has three of the 22 entries for the second big two-and-a-half-mile event of the season at the track, but Abragante, 7-1 with the sponsors, is easily the shortest in the betting.

Winner of the Listed Badger Ales Trophy Chase at Wincanton in November on his return from a summer break, he was then only 10th to Denman when fancied in a stamina-sapping Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup.