Confident View from Snowden Jamie Snowden is confident of a major performance from the former Paul Cashman point-to-pointer, Present View in Saturday's Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham. Having won over the course and distance at the Festival in the spring, the six-year-old has been prominent in ante-post lists for a while and made an encouraging return when touched off over hurdles at Prestbury Park last month. Snowden said: "We always thought he would carry a nice racing weight in the Paddy Power. It was a fantastic prep run at Cheltenham in a novice hurdle and arguably he should have won but for making a bad mistake at the last and getting beaten a head." He added: " I'm not scared of any one horse. He's handled the hurly-burly of Cheltenham and proved that he handles the track and the occasion. I wouldn't swap him for anything." Buywise was fifth behind Present View at the Festival before signing off his season with an impressive success at Cheltenham's April meeting. He won easily upon his return over hurdles at Ludlow, leaving trainer Evan Williams wondering whether the seven-year-old is at peak fitness. "He came out of that hurdle run very well and I was just keen on getting a few pieces of fast work into him," the Vale of Glamorgan handler told At The Races. "He loves Cheltenham. The Paddy Power is a race I always wanted to get Buywise to as the track and trip are made for him. We want to get through Saturday in one piece and see if he is good enough, and man enough, to compete at that level." There are two Irish challengers in the field, with the Charles Byrnes-trained Shanpallas joined by Tom Gibney's outsider Orpheus Valley. Shanpallas has enjoyed a fine autumn, finishing third in the Kerry National at Listowel before taking gold in Limerick's Munster National. Byrnes said: "The better the ground, the better his chance, I'd say. We've been happy with him since Limerick, but this is another big step up for him. I wouldn't be worried about coming back in trip with him. He'll probably get a break after this." Orpheus Valley won the Guinness Handicap Chase at the Punchestown Festival in April and was last seen finishing ninth in a handicap chase at Galway in August. Gibney said: "I would have liked to have got a prep run into him but he has gone well fresh in the past." Emma Lavelle reports Edgardo Sol all the better for his fine run on his seasonal debut, when second to Wishfull Thinking in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree. "He's flying, and came out of his run at Aintree very well. If he gets jumping I'm hopeful he'll run really well as he loves Cheltenham," said the Andover trainer. Cantlow was well beaten on his reappearance in the United House Challenge Cup at Ascot but trainer Paul Webber is expecting a better display on the back of that outing. The Banbury handler said: "The Paddy Power Gold Cup is horribly competitive but it looks like the right race for him to have a go in. He is reasonably handicapped on some of his form - he is a 1lb lower than when second in the December Gold Cup. "He would not want bucket loads of rains but we are hopeful."
