Johnson warns against Bandit bid

Owner David Johnson has warned punters that his promising novice Therealbandit is unlikely to tackle the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

The Martin Pipe-trained seven-year-old, a 16-1 chance for the Festival showpiece, notched up four successive wins over timber before switching to the bigger obstacles and he is unbeaten in his two starts over fences.

Both of those victories have come at Prestbury Park, with the latest a 20-length demolition of the French-trained Massac.

Therealbandit was among the 32 entries for the Cheltenham Gold Cup which were revealed yesterday but Johnson is not keen to tackle the reigning champion Best Mate, who will be going for a third successive win in the race.

“It’s a big ask for a novice and to be honest Best Mate looks unbeatable,” he told The Daily Mirror.

“He is in the Gold Cup so we can keep our options open, but he has only has two runs in steeplechases.

“That might be three runs by the time we get to Cheltenham but it is a possibility that the Royal & SunAlliance (Novices’ Chase) is the route to go.”