Jamie Snowden trainer of Colonel Harry© Photo Healy Racing
There are sure to be some emotional scenes in the Newbury winner’s enclosure if Colonel Harry can provide his trainer, jockey and owners with back-to-back wins in the Coral Gold Cup on Saturday.
Connections were thrilled 12 months ago after Datsalrightgino landed the prestigious handicap, but joy turned to despair less than two months later as Jamie Snowden’s stable star was fatally injured when falling in the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham.
In Colonel Harry, Snowden and owners The GD Partnership have unearthed another high-class prospect who won the Grade Two Towton Novices’ Chase at Wetherby last season and is expected to improve on his seasonal reappearance when second to Marble Sands in Carlisle’s Colin Parker Memorial four weeks ago.
“He’s in great order at home, I’ve been very happy with him since Carlisle and his training has all gone as planned,” said Snowden.
“He schooled very well last week and did some nice work on Tuesday and we’re hopefully all set for Saturday.
“We’ve campaigned him with this race very much the target and he comes here with a very similar profile to Datsalrightgino – his whole career has basically mirrored Datsalrightgino to this point. We’re rather hoping the step up in trip can eke out a bit more improvement off his mark.
“Last year was a magical day and the Coral Gold Cup has been etched in my DNA since I was a young child really. It’s a wonderful race to be associated with and it was fantastic to win it last year.”
Gavin Sheehan was on board Datsalrightgino last year and the leading rider believes Colonel Harry will head to the Berkshire circuit with similarly strong claims.
“He’s going in there with a similar profile to Datsalrightgino, he’s just a very straightforward horse,” said the jockey. “I think he’ll handle the step up in trip fine – I think he’s crying out for it, to be honest.
“I schooled him last week and he felt great, he definitely feels like he has stepped forward from Carlisle and he was a bit unlucky not to win that day, he jumped out to his left a bit.
“The Coral Gold Cup is not an easy race to win and everyone is going to line up to make the running. It’s just about trying to get a bit of luck and get jumping in a nice rhythm. Hopefully they go a nice gallop that you want and then it’s just riding the race accordingly.
“Has he got the ability to win? Yes. You just need things to go right on the day as well. It was one of my best days racing winning the race last year and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Willy Twiston-Davies has high hopes for Broadway Boy, who won a couple of big prizes over fences at Cheltenham last season and made a pleasing start to the current campaign when third behind the reopposing Senior Chief at Prestbury Park in October.
“He definitely took a healthy blow at Cheltenham, but off a rating of 148, he’s won a Grade Three handicap off 146 already, and you’d like to hope he could be a graded horse in a handicap hopefully,” said Twiston-Davies, assistant to his father Nigel.
“We’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t go very well. If it’s soft ground, that will be right up our street, as he’s won on heavy and he’s also won on good, but he’s definitely better on a soft surface.”
Ben Pauling is represented by Henry’s Friend, who has won three of his five novice starts over fences and blew away a few cobwebs when finishing last of four over hurdles at this track three weeks ago.
“It’s very much looking like it has all fallen into place very nicely indeed,” said the trainer.
“He’s in good order and the ground looks like it will be in his favour, it looks spot-on for him.
“His prep run at Newbury was perfect and he went back there and did a nice piece of work on their gallops morning (last week). He’s come through it all very well, seems in good nick at home and we’re excited to see how he gets on.”
There are three Irish-trained contenders, with Henry de Bromhead’s Senior Chief joined by the Willie Mullins-trained Horantzau d’Airy and Grandero Bello from Eddie and Patrick Harty’s yard, while French hopes are carried by General En Chef, who brings high-class Auteuil form to the table for the training partnership of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm.
George said: “He’s a Grade One performer, I think he has run in four French Gold Cups and was third in last year’s renewal, and I think he is well handicapped.
“His owner Andy Peake is from Manchester and we were talking about running in the Betfair Chase at Haydock last weekend, but I thought to myself if we’re good enough to win a Betfair Chase off 148, he’ll be well handicapped for a Coral Gold Cup.
“Of course, the translation between France and England is an unknown, but I think Newbury with its two long straights, there will be no hiding place, and I think it will really suit him.
“He’s a horse who we don’t work too much in a morning and he really improves with his racing. The last day, he probably got there a bit too soon (when third) and Compiegne is a track that doesn’t really suit him.
“It turns a lot and you can’t be too far away off the pace and he’s a horse who likes dropping and coming late, so with that in mind, I do think Newbury will suit.”
Paul Nicholls relies on Kandoo Kid, who has good course form and has had a wind operation since finishing third in the Topham at Aintree, while Dan Skelton sends out two strong fancies in Midnight River and Galia Des Liteaux and Venetia Williams seeks another big Saturday winner with Victtorino.
