Excellent field for Saturday´s bonusprint.com Gold Cup At Cheltenham

An excellent renewal of the bonusprint.com Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday is in prospect with 13 horses standing their ground at today´s 48-hour declaration stage.

The Paul Nicholls-trained Armaturk heads the field for the #110,000 contest and has won on both his starts this season, with his most recent victory coming at Cheltenham on November 12 when he was successful by a head from Well Chief in the Beards Jewellers Cup Handicap Chase over two miles.

He is joined by his stable companion Thisthatandtother, runner-up on his seasonal debut in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, the feature race of The Open at Cheltenham on November 13.

Nicky Henderson is seeking his third consecutive success in the Grade Three bonusprint.com Gold Cup, having won the prestigious handicap chase over two miles and five furlongs in 2002 with Fondmort, the choice of his stable jockey Mick Fitzgerald this time around, and Iris Royal 12 months ago.

In addition to Fondmort, the Seven Barrows handler also runs Scots Grey, who will be making his seasonal debut but has been well supported in the ante-post market this week.

Henry Ponsonby, who heads the syndicate which owns Scots Grey, is looking forward to the nine-year-old running on Saturday and is unconcerned that Andrew Tinkler will be taking the mount rather than Fitzgerald.

Ponsonby revealed: 'Scots Grey is in great form. We are very confident that he will run a big race and, hopefully, give Nicky a hat-trick in the bonusprint.com Gold Cup.

'It is insignificant that Mick Fitzgerald is not riding him because, as he said in the Racing Post today, he cannot split our horse and Fondmort.

'Andrew rode him in the 2003 Mildmay of Flete when he finished third to Fondmort even though 'Scotty' was still only a novice at the time, so I´m delighted with the jockey bookings.

'The horse has won first time out for the past three years - three years ago over hurdles at Ludlow, two years ago he beat Ballycassidy to win his first chase Huntingdon and last year we thought he was only half-fit when he beat Hand Inn Hand at Kempton - he blew up three times! So, he does go very well first time and has been schooling very well at home.'

'I think he is a better horse this year and he has a lovely racing weight. The good ground is superb for him - he doesn´t want it soft.'

Scots Grey also holds an entry for the King George VI Chase at Kempton over Christmas but Ponsonby wants to get Saturday out of the way first.

'The King George entry is a backstop if we win by 10 lengths on Saturday! If he did do that, we would be kicking ourselves if he wasn´t entered at Kempton as there might only be six or seven runners. There are two other nice races for him over Christmas and the New Year, while his long-term target is the Racing Post Chase at Kempton in February. That was his target last year before he was injured.'

Martin Pipe´s two successes in the bonusprint.com Gold Cup have come with Northern Starlight six years ago and Fragrant Dawn in 1993 and the champion trainer has two challengers in 2004, headed by Our Vic, one of last season´s leading novices who was last seen out when finishing third in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March. He was due to make his reappearance in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, for which he was ante-post favourite but had to miss that contest after a small training setback.

He is joined by Redemption, who will be having his first run for the Nicholashayne handler, having previously been trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies. Redemption was going well when falling two out in last year´s bonusprint.com Gold Cup.

Another trainer doubly represented is Minehead-based Philip Hobbs, who runs Farmer Jack, a faller in the Paddy Power Gold Cup but currently joint-second behind Azertyuiop in the British Horseracing Board´s Order of Merit, of which the bonusprint.com Gold Cup forms a part, and Monkerhostin, winner of the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle at last season´s Cheltenham Festival and third on his most recent start over fences behind Celestial Gold in the Paddy Power Gold Cup.

Ireland, last successful in 2000 with Go Roger Go, is represented by the Willie Mullins-trained Mossy Green, who was bang in contention when falling two out in last season´s Royal & SunAlliance Chase and won over hurdles at Fairyhouse on November 27.

The field is completed by Tikram, last season´s Mildmay of Flete Challenge Cup Handicap Chase winner, Massac who completed a hat-trick in the valuable Life From Coloroll Handicap chase at Windsor on November 20, Impek, runner-up in the 2003 Irish Independent Arkle Trophy at The Festival, and Europa from the Ferdy Murphy stable and a winner on his penultimate start at Kempton.

The going at Cheltenham remains GOOD on the chase and hurdles courses and GOOD, GOOD TO SOFT IN PLACES on the Cross Country Course and is expected to stay that way ahead of the two-day December Meeting.

Simon Claisse, Cheltenham´s Clerk of the Course, commented: 'I am absolutely delighted with the field for the bonusprint.com Gold Cup.

'It has both quality and quantity and we look set for a cracking race, keeping up the momentum of what was a very successful Paddy Power Gold Cup.