Church in hunt for Gold repeat

LAST year’s winner Church Island is in a field of 25 left in the bet365 Gold Cup Chase at Sandown Park on Saturday.

Trainer Michael Hourigan’s veteran could bid to become only the third horse to win the prestigious end-of-season handicap in successive years after Larbawn (1968-9) and Topsham Bay (1992-3).

There will be a big rise in the weights after Paul Nicholls scratched Kauto Star and What A Friend, as expected.

The list is now headed by another Irish challenger, the Dessie-Hughes-trained Siegemaster, who fell in the Topham Chase at Aintree on his latest start.

The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Baby Run, winner of the Fox Hunters’ Chase over the Grand National fences, is among the fancied horses standing his ground.

Philip Hobbs has left in Balthazar King and Triggerman but has taken out both Wishfull Thinking and Quinz.

Among the other possibles are Suzy Smith’s Aimigayle, the Pat Murphy-trained Maktu, Alex Hales’ Iconoclast and David Pipe’s pair of Faasel and Gentle Ranger.

Hughes would be happy for Siegemaster to carry top weight, as long as the ground was suitable.

“He’s in the Irish National, but he’s more likely to run at Sandown if the ground was OK,” said the County Kildare handler.

“He’s fine after his fall and he didn’t gallop too much afterwards.

“We’ll have a look and see. Ground-wise, we wouldn’t want it too form.

“If it’s good jumping ground we’d travel and for a race like that I think they’ll make sure it is.”

Richard Johnson meanwhile is looking for Balthazar King to provide him with big-race wins on successive Saturdays.

The jockey steered Beshabar to victory in the Scottish National at Ayr at the weekend and now has his eyes on the last big-race of the jumps season, the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.

“Balthazar King won the other day at Cheltenham and now he’s got in the handicap proper I’d think he’d have a great chance,” said Johnson.

“The way he stayed on at Cheltenham up the hill there you’d hope he’d get the three mile, five furlongs.”

Balthazar King, trained by Johnson’s main retainer Philip Hobbs, is set to carry 10st 11lb after the weights went up 18lb at the five-day confirmation stage following the expected defection of the Paul Nicholls-trained duo of Kauto Star and What A Friend.