No More Heroes to get Gold Cup entry
While the two-time Grade One novice chase winner is likely to run in either the RSA Chase or the National Hunt Chase at the Festival, Elliott feels there is nothing to lose by putting him in the big one as insurance should some of the major players fall by the wayside. No More Heroes is owned by Gigginstown House Stud who have several leading Gold Cup contenders including Don Cossack, Don Poli and Road To Riches.
“He’s in great form and will be entered in Leopardstown in the Flogas (formerly Dr P.J Moriarty, on February 6), but if I was a betting man I’d say we’d probably go straight to Cheltenham,” Elliott told At The Races.
“He’s come out of his last race in great form, but I don’t know if he needs another run. I’ll have to talk to Michael and Eddie (O’Leary, of Gigginstown) and see.
“It’ll be the RSA or the four-miler. He’d be entered in the Gold Cup as well just in case. He’ll have an entry. You don’t know what can happen to the rest of the horses, but I’d say it would be the RSA or the four-mile chase.
“To be honest, he’s having an entry for the sake of having an entry. If it was the Gold Cup three or four years ago they weren’t maybe as strong as they are now, but it looks a very strong race this year, so I’d say we’d be going the novice route.”
Meanwhile Kerry Lee is no hurry to decide whether Mountainous will have a run ahead of the Crabbie’s Grand National following his heroics at Chepstow on Saturday.
While the rookie trainer confirmed the Aintree spectacular on April 9 will be her stable star’s next main objective, what happens in between is uncertain at this stage.
Mountainous became the first horse since Bonanza Boy in 1989 to win the Coral Welsh Grand National for a second time as well as being the first 11-year-old since Happy Spring in the 1960s to lift the prestigious prize when he relished the muddy conditions to supplement his success in December 2013. “Mountainous is great. He ate all his supper last night, polished off his breakfast and he has been enjoying some sunshine out in the field,” said the Presteigne trainer, who took over the reins of the family stables from her father Richard in July.
“I don’t know if he will have a run before the National. I’ll wait and see how he comes out of this race.We’re not going to make any plans. We’ll just see how we go.
