GOLD IS NUMBER ONE CHASER

First Gold has taken over from Looks Like Trouble as the best chaser to have raced in Britain this season, it was revealed today.

Senior British Horseracing Board jumps handicapper Phil Smith has given the Francois Doumen-trained gelding, impressive winner of the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, a rating of 178.

It puts him 1lb ahead of Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Looks Like Trouble, who is currently sidelined by injury.

Smith said: 'I`ve rated him at 178.

'It`s the highest figure I`ve given a chaser in the three years I`ve been doing the job and it puts him right up there with best in recent times.

'Looks Like Trouble is on 177 and I`ve dropped See More Business to 174.

'First Gold didn`t do a lot more than I expected to be honest because I had him on 175 before the race.

'As it happens it was a fairly easy race to rate as Florida Pearl, Bellator and Beau all finished about where I thought they would.'

First Gold was immediately slashed to as short as 2-1 favourite for the Gold Cup following his Kempton success.

However, Smith warned his supporters that the race was no foregone conclusion.

'There is one note of caution which is three miles at Kempton on good to soft ground on Boxing Day is different to three and a quarter miles at Cheltenham on an undulating track when who knows what the ground will be,' he said.

'It`s a completely different test for the horse but let`s hope he runs as good a race as he did at Kempton.

'There are also horses like Marlborough and Legal Right who have done nothing but improve over the last year and hopefully they will be there.

'And don`t write off See More Business - he`s a very resilient character.

'Just when people think he`s finished he comes back and proves people wrong.'