Is Den the man to stop Kauto?
"Denmania" swept Newbury on Saturday as last season’s top novice emerged as the leading threat to stablemate Kauto Star’s dominance of the staying division.
Even before the season started, all racing fans were well aware of trainer Paul Nicholls’ strong hand in the three-mile category but few would have expected Denman to be heading the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup market at this early stage.
However, that is the situation with Coral after the young pretender swept aside his rivals under top-weight in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup.
The brilliant seven-year-old romped to an 11-length success under man of the moment Sam Thomas in a race that was all about one horse.
Nicholls said: “The great thing was he settled early on. I had been worried that he would tank along for the first mile and leave himself with nothing in reserve.
“For me to have said he would win first time out, you just don’t do that. There is improvement in him and he is having a good blow, but that was awesome first time out.”
Cashmans make Nicholls a 2-7 shot to train the winner of the Gold Cup, but he would not be drawn into making predications about when Denman eventually clashes with Kauto Star.
He continued: “They won’t take each other on until Cheltenham and a lot can happen between now and then.
“He will go to the Lexus now and then would could come back here for the Aon or go to back to Ireland – but he will only have two more runs before Cheltenham.”
Just for good measure Nicholls and Thomas went on to complete a treble at the Berkshire track 24 hours later, highlighted by the success of the promising Big Buck’s in the beginners’ chase.
Inglis Drever made a victorious reappearance in the totesport.com Long Distance Hurdle.
In completing a hat-trick in the Grade Two contest, the Howard Johnson-trained gelding cemented his place in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle market, with the sponsors making him the 2-1 favourite.
Admittedly his task was eased by the late withdrawal of Black Jack Ketchum on account of the ground, but the 15-8 favourite showed the benefit of a recent Haydock gallop as he quickly quashed the hopes of those who had supported Special Envoy into 3-1 from 7s.
Johnson said: “A fortnight ago he seemed very stuffy, but I managed to tempt Kirkland Tellwright (clerk of the course) to let me give him a racecourse gallop at Haydock which has certainly brought him on.
“It put the finishing touches on him because I’ve found the older he gets, the harder it is to get him fit.
“My job is to keep him in one piece for the big one at Cheltenham. The World Hurdle is what we want.”
An old warrior regained his sparkle at Newcastle as Harchibald ended a spell in the wilderness with a resounding success in the WBX.COM “Fighting Fifth” Hurdle.
The eight-year-old, famed for his what some believe was a lacklustre response up the Cheltenham hill when narrowly defeated in the 2005 Champion Hurdle, had not won since December of that year.
However, he bounced back to his very best when accounting for Al Eile by an effortless one and three-quarter lengths to claim a second win in the race.
And for trainer Noel Meade, watching the race in Fairyhouse, it was an emotional day.
“I’m absolutely thrilled that he’s back,” he said.
“He had a nightmare last season and he was in a mood that he had been in training for so long without running. But I knew after his run at Dundalk the other day that he had his old swagger back.
“I have never loved a horse as much as this fellow and he could meet (stablemate) Jazz Messenger now in the Christmas Hurdle.”
Just as Nicholls has an embarrassment of riches in his chasing ranks, Meade has a similarly strong hand in the two-mile hurdling division.
That point was further underlined as Aitmatov short-headed ultra-brave front-runner Sweet Kiln in the Ballymore Properties Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday.
Aitmatov’s Grade One win completed a hat-trick at the highest level for the trainer-and-jockey combination as Muirhead had earlier struck in the Bar-One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle.
Sky’s The Limit ran out a convincing winner of the other Grade One event, the Ballymore Properties Drinmore Novice Chase, for trainer Edward O’Grady and jockey Andrew McNamara.
Doncaster returned to jumping action for the first time since their massive redevelopment and the revamped track met with a favourable response.
There were new fences for the jumps fraternity to tackle and the obstacles were well-received with the jockeys being impressed.
Seamus Durack who won the first race, the Star And Green ’Un Beginners Chase on Pseudonym, said: “It’s decent ground, good fences and my horse jumped really nicely. They’ve made a good job of it.”
