Bowen happy ahead of Stand run

Take The Stand is on course to run at Cheltenham this weekend with trainer Peter Bowen not wishing to swap his totesport Gold Cup runner-up for anything else in this year’s renewal.

The Welsh handler’s 10-year-old put up a lifetime best performance to chase home Kicking King last March and will have his prep run for another tilt at the blue riband in Saturday’s Letheby & Christopher Chase.

“It should help to have good ground and he loves Cheltenham as well,” Bowen told Racing UK.

“I don’t think he does get the respect he deserves but the horse doesn’t know that. I am happy with him and wouldn’t swap him for any other horse in the Gold Cup.”

Take The Stand is a 10-1 chance with Coral for the Gold Cup and Bowen believes the race is between his charge and ante-post favourite Monkerhostin.

“Monkerhostin would be the one to beat but it will be a good race. There is no such thing as a bad Gold Cup,” he added.