Knowhere Holds Clear Claims

It is no longer a secret that Nigel Twiston-Davies has his horses cherry-ripe for the opening months of the National Hunt season.

And one of the major early targets for the big yards is the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on November 17.

The two-mile-five-furlong contest may have changed its name nearly as many times as Zsa Zsa Gabor has walked down the aisle, but it still retains its position as a key race in the calendar.

It may be ultra-competitive but recent trends show we should be concentrating on second-season chasers trained by one of the big yards and Twiston-Davies' Knowhere fits nicely into that category.

The trainer won the race in 1992 with Tipping Tim, who also sported the green and white stars of the Mould family, so he knows exactly what it takes.

It may seem ridiculous to be considering a horse for this race who ran in the Grand National, but Knowhere showed himself to be at the top of his game when winning a tough race at Prestbury Park first time out this season.

Competing off top weight, he was given a patient ride by first-time pilot Paddy Brennan, getting up to win in the dying strides.

That was over three miles but he is not devoid of pace, as he showed last season when a close second behind Cerium in an Ascot Grade Two over a trip nearer to two miles than three.

The intermediate trip should suit him down to the ground and although he fell when contesting the race as a novice last year, that effort should be forgiven.

Knowhere has suffered with injury problems in the past and his hurdling career was limited to just two starts, including a win in a Chepstow Grade Two.

He was thrown in at the deep-end for his first start over fences in January 2006 when pulled up behind The Listener but emerged as one of the best early-season novices last term.

After wins at Perth and Bangor, he was in front in the Paddy Power and in the process of running a huge race when he fell down the back straight.

The near-miss against Cerium followed before he chased home subsequent Gold Cup runner-up Exotic Dancer in the Boylesports Gold Cup over this course and distance.

After he finished third in the Feltham at Christmas, he lost his way a little but Brennan seemed to have found the key to him last time.

He races off a mark 9lb higher than the Boylesports race but that should not matter too much once you have factored in his increased experience and confidence.

The 10-1 on offer with the sponsors appeals at this early stage, particularly as Twiston-Davies has named the valuable pot as his early-season aim.

(C) PA Sport