Gold gallops at Exeter

Celestial Gold, unraced since last year’s totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, enjoyed a racecourse spin at Exeter this morning.

Trainer Martin Pipe took the eight-year-old to the Devon venue for a gallop ahead of next Friday’s Cheltenham Festival feature, for which he is a best-priced 10-1 with Coral and William Hill.

“This morning we took Celestial Gold down to Exeter racecourse along with a few youngsters for an early morning gallop,” assistant trainer Chester Barnes told www.martinpipe.com.

“Jonothan Lower rode Celestial Gold and he galloped around one circuit of Exeter just to sharpen him up – Jonothan said he worked very well and he was very pleased with him.

“It should’ve blown out any cobwebs that might have been there. He worked on the bridle all the way.”

Celestial Gold won both the Paddy Power Gold Cup and the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup last March but has not been seen since finishing seventh behind Kicking King 12 months ago.