Mullins delays Betfred plans
Irish trainer Willie Mullins will delay making a decision on the participation of Rule Supreme and Alexander Banquet in the Betfred Gold Cup until later in the week.
The pair are entered in Saturday’s feature event over three miles, five furlongs at Sandown where they could bid to atone for disappointing displays at Aintree.
Alexander Banquet, an 11-year-old, ran in the Martell Cognac Grand National and he made a couple of mistakes before falling at the 18th fence.
Rule Supreme unshipped David Casey at the eighth in the Martell Cognac Sainsbury’s Mildmay Novices’ Chase, which was a let down after his previous win in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Mullins has schooled both horses since Aintree and he will leave the duo in at tomorrow’s five-day stage.
“I think both will probably be confirmed tomorrow but we have to wait and see how the race looks and what the ground is like later in the week,” he said.
“They’ve both come out of Aintree in good form. We’ve schooled them both and will do again tomorrow and I’ve been delighted with them.”
Saturday’s card features both National Hunt and Flat action and the going on both tracks is described as good by clerk of the course Andrew Cooper.
Light watering was carried out at the track last week but Cooper reports some rain there today.
He said: “We have been watering the jumps track quietly and steadily with a view to keeping it as good ground or just maybe on the fast side.
“We had quite localised rain last night and we got four millimetres but we’ve already had another two millimetres this morning and we are due some showery weather tomorrow and Tuesday before another band of rain on Wednesday.
“I would say the jumps and Flat courses are both good at the moment and I’m pleased with the ground. The last two years it has been difficult to keep the ground at good to firm as there was so little rain but it’s taking it really well,” he added.
“We will keep a watching brief on the watering but our aim is for good ground.”
