Tag Archive for: Cotswold Chase

Noble Yeats aiming to underline Gold Cup claims in Cotswold trial

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Robert Waley-Cohen is excited to see whether Noble Yeats can cement his Gold Cup claims with a bold showing in the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday.

The eight-year-old provided the Waley-Cohen family with a day they will never forget at Aintree last spring when claiming Grand National glory under the owner’s amateur jockey son Sam, on what proved to be his final ride before retiring from the saddle.

Emmet Mullins’ charge was pulled up on his return to action at Auteuil in October, but bounced back with victory at Wexford a couple of weeks later before throwing his hat into the Gold Cup ring with a seriously impressive display in Aintree’s Many Clouds Chase the following month.

The Waley-Cohens have already tasted Gold Cup success, with Long Run memorably seeing off Denman and Kauto Star in 2011, and Noble Yeats is a best priced 7-1 to become only the third horse to win the blue riband and the Grand National after L’Escargot and Golden Miller.

But while Waley-Cohen is hopeful his charge can make his presence felt in a fascinating clash with last year’s Gold Cup third Protektorat – winner of the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November – he warns the result is not the be-all and end-all, with the big day still seven weeks away.

“It’s a very hot race. There’s six very good horses in it and obviously Protektorat has done brilliantly, finishing third in a Gold Cup and winning the Betfair Chase,” said Waley-Cohen.

“It will be very interesting and I think it will be good for Noble Yeats to get some more experience of the course.

“But as we keep reminding ourselves, the Cotswold Chase is a furlong shorter than the Gold Cup and I’m not sure I would read too much into the result. This is not the Gold Cup and whatever happens, we’ve still got to meet the likes of A Plus Tard and Galopin Des Champs.”

While doing his best to dampen expectations, Waley-Cohen reports Noble Yeats to have travelled over from Ireland in rude health.

He added: “I don’t want to put anyone off and say we haven’t got him ready, because he certainly is ready. He’s ready to do himself justice, but I hope there’ll be a fraction to work on.

“Trainers like to have their horses super sharp for the big day, but that is not to say they can’t win earlier in the season, of course.

“Protektorat appears to be the best of the British, although given that Noble Yeats spent the entire summer here and I own him, I must admit it’s hard to think of him as Irish, even though he’s Irish bred and Irish trained!

“He’s spent a couple of days with us this week after travelling over and he seems in very happy form.”

Dan Skelton is excited to see Protektorat back on the racecourse, having elected to keep his powder dry since his brilliant Haydock success in November.

Harry Skelton celebrates winning the Betfair Chase with Protektorat
Harry Skelton celebrates winning the Betfair Chase with Protektorat (Nigel French/PA)

He said: “Everything has been really good since Haydock and I’m very happy with him. He looks fantastic and we always wanted to come here after his last run.

“For a few days after Haydock he was a bit quiet but he came out of it sound and healthy, so there was never any issue on that part. Since then we have slowly built him back up and he is fresh and well.

“He has not been for any away days but he is flying around the place and I’d like to think even though Noble Yeats is coming over, he can run well. It should be a good race and I think you should hopefully see something very positive.”

Frodon won the Cotswold Chase four years ago for Paul Nicholls and returns for another tilt after the cold snap scuppered an intended appearance at Taunton last weekend.

The popular veteran is three years older than each of his rivals at the age of 11, but his trainer expects him to run his usual solid race.

“Frodon is fresh and well and he will run a good race, but he might be vulnerable to some of those younger legs again,” said Nicholls.

“It was a shame the Portman Cup at Taunton was called off last week, but he likes Cheltenham and especially the New Course so you just never know.

“He looks as well as I’ve seen him look. He schooled on Monday and he worked great.

“He has an outside chance of winning, but he could run well and get placed.”

Sounds Russian in action at Southwell
Sounds Russian in action at Southwell (Mike Egerton/PA)(

Sounds Russian was fourth behind Noble Yeats at Aintree in the autumn and has since pushed Into Overdrive close in the Rowland Meyrick.

Trainer Ruth Jefferson expects to have a clearer idea of what the future holds for her stable star after Saturday’s race.

She said: “Saturday will tell us where we go with him. He’s got a Gold Cup entry and he will have a handicap entry somewhere.

“He’s grand and doesn’t take a lot of training – he is quite straightforward. We’ve been pleased with him since Wetherby.”

The Lucinda Russell-trained Ahoy Senor was just ahead of Sounds Russian when third in the Many Clouds Chase, but that promising effort is sandwiched by disappointing runs in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby and the King George at Kempton.

Ahoy Senor needs to bounce back to form
Ahoy Senor needs to bounce back to form (Tim Goode/PA)

Russell is keeping her fingers crossed the eight-year-old can re-establish himself as a force to be reckoned with, saying: “He was a freak as a hurdler and a freak as a novice chaser and he did extremely well as a novice chaser.

“But he was running on pure ability, whereas this year he has had to knuckle down and learn how to really race properly.

“He can’t just boss fields like before in the company he’s been running in and I’d like to think with that bit of confidence he has got from the runs he has had this season, he could build on that and if he does build on that, we might create a monster again.”

The field is completed by Nicky Henderson’s outsider Dusart, who returns to the larger obstacles after finishing sixth over hurdles on his seasonal debut at Cheltenham last month.

Ruth Jefferson hoping Sounds Russian can book Gold Cup ticket

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Sounds Russian will bid to underline his Gold Cup claims when he runs in the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday.

The promising chaser, who was just touched off by Into Overdrive in the Rowland Meyrick, conceding 15lb at Wetherby on Boxing Day, has an official rating of 161.

That has made him difficult to place and trainer Ruth Jefferson hopes to find out if she has a horse capable of competing at the highest level on her hands.

“If you run in a handicap, you’d probably be giving away a few pounds to the next horse, but he is caught a bit in between,” said the North Yorkshire-based handler.

“He’ll give weight away – I wouldn’t be too worried about giving weight away if need be, but we intend to run on Saturday.”

Jefferson is keen to see whether the Sholokov gelding could make the requisite jump into top-class company, having proved himself capable in Graded races.

Jefferson said: “Saturday will tell us a lot, won’t it? He has a Gold Cup entry and he will have a handicap entry somewhere, or we will steer clear and find something else. I don’t know. It is quite hard to say until we get Saturday out of the way.”

Any thoughts of potentially running in the Coral Trophy Handicap at Kempton next month may be on the back-burner, however.

She added: “I’m not 100 per cent certain he’s a horse that will go right-handed. That’s why we have never asked him to.

“And perhaps Kempton may be a bit sharp for him. I think there would be other right-handed tracks we would take him to first. Something will come up, there’s always something.

“You’d like to win another race before the end of the season – that would be the plan, but when you are rated 161, it is not quite as easy as it used to be.”

Noble Yeats team anticipating ‘proper race’ in Cotswold heat

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Sean Bowen believes the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase will inform connections of exactly where they stand with Noble Yeats.

Bowen, second in the championship standings behind Brian Hughes, picked up the ride one Emmet Mullins’ stable star after Sam Waley-Cohen quit in fairytale circumstances following his Grand National last April.

Unbeaten in two races together, a Listed event at Wexford and the Grade Two Many Clouds at Aintree, Noble Yeats and Bowen face genuine Gold Cup quality opposition this weekend with Betfair Chase winner Protektorat and a previous King George winner in Frodon in opposition.

“It will be the first time I’ve sat on him since Aintree and I’m looking forward to it,” said Bowen.

“I’ve not heard too much from Emmet as he likes to keep himself to himself, but if he is going for a race like this, I put full faith in Emmet getting him right for the day.

“I think he is one of those horses that never overdoes anything. I suppose at Wexford he did what he needed to, and with a horse like that, you never really know how much they have got left in the locker until they have a proper fight on their hands.

“I suppose Saturday will show us how good he really is as he will be having a proper race there. To be honest he probably does need to take another step forward, but again I think he is capable of that given how he never overdoes things.

“He is a very straightforward ride and he doesn’t do much until you ask him. Hopefully there is plenty left in the locker when I need it on Saturday.”

Jockey Sam Waley-Cohen (left), his father Robert Waley-Cohen (right) and trainer Emmet Mullins
Ex-Jockey Sam Waley-Cohen (left), his father Robert Waley-Cohen (right) and trainer Emmet Mullins (Brian Lawless/PA)

Speaking of the circumstances regarding getting the ride, Bowen added: “I’m in a very lucky position. It’s hard when you are freelance to find a horse that takes you to the next level.

“I’m very grateful to Robert (Waley-Cohen, owner), Sam and Emmet for giving me this chance.”

Protektorat primed for Cheltenham clash with Noble Yeats

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Dan Skelton feels the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham will answer a lot of questions regarding Protektorat’s Gold Cup claims.

Hugely impressive in the Betfair Chase at Haydock on his seasonal reappearance, in which last season’s Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard disappointed, Skelton immediately nominated a trip to Prestbury Park as a prep for the Festival.

Rather than scare away the opposition this coming Saturday, though, the spate of recent abandonments and other issues mean he will face a keen test of his credentials against the likes of Grand National winner Noble Yeats, a previous King George winner in Frodon and Sounds Russian.

“I’m not saying Protektorat is an absolute certainty as if your man turns up (Noble Yeats) he is a shorter price in the Gold Cup, rightly or wrongly, whatever your opinion is. It is going to be enlightening to see them lining up against each other,” said Skelton.

“Noble Yeats was very good in the Many Clouds Chase which you would expect a Grand National winner to be able to do.

“You can’t deny Noble Yeats’ ability and stamina and I don’t think he will be inconvenienced by his lack of experience at the track. However, Protektorat has just turned into a real good stayer and that is very important around Cheltenham.”

Protektorat oozed class at Haydock and Skelton, who has his horses firing on all cylinders after a quiet Christmas, said: “I think the win at Haydock suggested that he had improved from last season which we had seen at home but he still had to confirm that on the track.

“We’ve not changed anything in his training regime just as they get that bit older and stronger you can do that bit more with them that is the truth.

“He went through the race very well and picked up very well. I was surprised how he scampered clear after the last, which I thought was very good.

“All in all it was just good to see him come out and win like that.”

Assessing his Gold Cup rivals, Skelton is well aware of the task ahead.

“I thought Bravemansgame was very good at Kempton and I think he put to bed any doubts about really seeing that trip out,” he said.

“He has now won a King George which is probably the second biggest chase on the calendar in the UK. Any doubts people could have about him have been dispelled and it enhanced him for a Gold Cup even more.

“Galopin Des Champs is yet to take race beyond an extended two-miles-five-furlongs over fences but that appears to be the only answered question about him as there is no question about his class and ability.

“The Dublin Racing Festival will tell you a little bit about what chances a lot of the Irish guys have and what form they are in.

“We also haven’t seen last year’s Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard since his no show in the Betfair Chase but you would be foolish to write him off as well.”