Dancer Can Reach Gold Standard

Kauto Star will be the name on the lips of almost everyone Cheltenham on Friday week as he bids for totesport Gold Cup glory and a £1million bonus.

Paul Nicholls' charge is certainly a worthy favourite and it is hard to pick holes in his form given his wins in the Betfair Chase, King George and Aon.

However, a big question mark still hangs over Kauto Star's jumping, as a bad mistake at Newbury last time proved, and you certainly cannot bulldoze through the championship fences at Prestbury Park.

In fact, his only visit to Cheltenham yielded a fall early in last year's Queen Mother Champion Chase and it is difficult to see him overcoming a blunder on his usual scale.

Kauto Star's inconsistent jumping opens the door for one of his rivals and Cheltenham specialist Exotic Dancer stands out as the one to take him one with.

He is not yet proved over the Gold Cup distance of three miles and two furlongs - neither for that matter is Kauto Star ? but he simply excels around Prestbury Park, having so far registered four wins, a second and a third from seven runs.

His only unplaced effort came when seventh in the 2005 World Hurdle and given that he was a 150-1 outsider on that occasion, that can safely be ignored.

Jonjo O'Neill's seven-year-old made an inauspicious start this term when beaten out of sight in a three-runner contest at Carlisle last November, but he showed his true colours when powering home for a surprise victory in the Paddy Power Gold Cup just five days later.

Success in the boylesports.com Gold Cup over the same two miles and five furlongs at Cheltenham prompted connections to raise his sights and step him up in trip.

Exotic Dancer duly rose to the challenge in finishing eight lengths behind Kauto Star in the King George, but connections felt he was staying on well enough.

O'Neill then sent his charge for the Letheby And Christopher Chase over three miles and a furlong at the Festival venue and he absolutely dotted up by 18 lengths from Our Vic to confirm that opinion.

Exotic Dancer shrugged off doubts over the heavy ground and longer trip to win that day, suggesting the Gold Cup distance should provide no problems.

The Sir Robert Ogden-owned gelding has been improving all season and the combination of waiting tactics and the application of cheekpieces have brought out the best in him.

Kauto Star may have the beating of him at Kempton, but Exotic Dancer has shown form over further and Cheltenham is a vastly different proposition to the Sunbury venue.

He may have to find a few lengths on the bare form with the favourite but at around 5-1, it is well worth chancing he can do just that at his favourite track.

(C) PA Sport