Riders Onthe Storm will look to follow up an impressive first appearance for Nigel Twiston-Davies when he heads to Cheltenham next week for the £130,000 G3 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup on Saturday, 14 December.
The six-year-old, third in a G1 novice chase at Limerick last season for his former trainer Tom Taaffe, was purchased on behalf of owners Carl Hinchy and Mark Scott for £50,000 at Doncaster in May. He repaid virtually all of that outlay when taking a valuable handicap chase over two and a half miles at Aintree on 9 November.
Riders Onthe Storm was raised 13lb for his length and three-quarter success and has been allotted 11st 4lb for the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup after the weights were revealed today for the extended two and a half-mile handicap chase on day two of The International.
Joint-owner Carl Hinchy said: "Riders Onthe Storm is in good form and the plan is for him to head to Cheltenham.
"It was great to see the form from his victory at Aintree boosted when the third Oldgrangewood won at Newbury last week.
"We expect him to have improved plenty for his first run. Nigel's horses tend to come on from their first outing and, whilst he will have to improve given his rise in the weights, we are hopeful of a big run."
The weights for the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup are headed by Kalashnikov (11st 12lb, Amy Murphy), who was beaten a nose by Oldgrangewood when carrying top-weight in a Newbury handicap chase on 29 November.
Last season's G1 Manifesto Novices' Chase winner could bid to emulate subsequent Ryanair Chase hero Frodon, who shouldered top-weight to victory in last season's Caspian Caviar Gold Cup.
Happy Diva (11st) gamely took the G3 BetVictor Gold Cup at The November Meeting last month and the Kerry Lee-trained mare could bid to become the fourth horse to follow up with success in the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup in the same season following Pegwell Bay (1988), Senor El Betrutti (1997) and Exotic Dancer (2006).
Seven other horses who ran in the BetVictor Gold Cup have also been entered, including the runner-up Brelan D'As (10st 8lb, Paul Nicholls) and third Warthog (9st 11lb, David Pipe) plus eighth home Guitar Pete (10st 6lb, Nicky Richards), winner of the 2017 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup.
Other contenders include Cepage (11st 6lb, Venetia Williams), who was second to Riders Onthe Storm at Aintree, recent Ascot winner Capeland (11st 4lb, Paul Nicholls) and unexposed novice chaser Not That Fuisse (9st 10lb, Dan Skelton).
The Caspian Caviar Gold Cup
G3 handicap chase, £130,000 total prize fund. Saturday, 14 December. Two miles, four and a half furlongs. For four-year-olds and upwards. Penalties: after 1 December, a winner of a chase 5lb. Entries closed 26 November, entries revealed 27 November (38 entries). Weights revealed 4 December. Five-day confirmations 9 December, final declarations 12 December. Maximum field 17 runners plus two reserves.
|
Horse |
Age |
Wgt |
Owner |
Trainer |
|
Kalashnikov (IRE) |
6 |
11-12 |
Paul Murphy |
Amy Murphy |
|
Cepage (FR) |
7 |
11-06 |
The Bellamy Partnership |
Venetia Williams |
|
O O Seven (IRE) |
9 |
11-05 |
Christopher Hanbury |
Nicky Henderson |
|
Magic Saint (FR) |
5 |
11-05 |
John & Barbara Cotton |
Paul Nicholls |
|
Casablanca Mix (FR) |
7 |
11-05 |
E R Hanbury |
Nicky Henderson |
|
Capeland (FR) |
7 |
11-04 |
Mrs Kathy Stuart |
Paul Nicholls |
|
Keeper Hill (IRE) |
8 |
11-04 |
McNeill Family |
Warren Greatrex |
|
Riders Onthe Storm (IRE) |
6 |
11-04 |
Carl Hinchy and Mark Scott |
Nigel Twiston-Davies |
|
Acapella Bourgeois (FR) |
9 |
11-03 |
Slaneyville Syndicate |
Willie Mullins IRE |
|
Secret Investor |
7 |
11-01 |
Hills of Ledbury (Aga) |
Paul Nicholls |
|
Happy Diva (IRE) |
8 |
11-00 |
Will Roseff |
Kerry Lee |
|
The Bay Birch (IRE) |
8 |
11-00 |
Tony Scrivin |
Matt Sheppard |
|
Lalor (GER) |
7 |
11-00 |
D G Staddon |
Kayley Woollacott |
|
Benatar (IRE) |
7 |
10-13 |
Ashley Head |
Gary Moore |
|
Robin des Foret (IRE) |
9 |
10-13 |
Byerley Racing Syndicate |
Willie Mullins IRE |
|
Imperial Presence (IRE) |
8 |
10-11 |
Sir Christopher & Lady Wates |
Philip Hobbs |
|
Theinval (FR) |
9 |
10-11 |
Mr & Mrs Sandy Orr |
Nicky Henderson |
|
Spiritofthegames (IRE) |
7 |
10-11 |
N W Lake |
Dan Skelton |
|
Wenyerreadyfreddie (IRE) |
8 |
10-11 |
M Landau & J Lightfoot |
Nicky Henderson |
|
Knocknanuss (IRE) |
9 |
10-10 |
Hail Sargent Evans |
Gary Moore |
|
Kobrouk (FR) |
8 |
10-10 |
John & Barbara Cotton |
Nicky Henderson |
|
Clondaw Castle (IRE) |
7 |
10-09 |
J French, D McDermott, S Nelson, T Syder |
Tom George |
|
Highway One O One (IRE) |
7 |
10-08 |
Anthony Ward-Thomas |
Chris Gordon |
|
Brelan d'As (FR) |
8 |
10-08 |
J P McManus |
Paul Nicholls |
|
Rather Be (IRE) |
8 |
10-08 |
Eventmasters Racing |
Nicky Henderson |
|
Guitar Pete (IRE) |
9 |
10-06 |
Mrs Pat Sloan |
Nicky Richards |
|
Azzerti (FR) |
7 |
10-04 |
McNeill Family and Prodec Networks Ltd |
Alan King |
|
Good Man Pat (IRE) |
6 |
10-01 |
David Sewell |
Alan King |
|
Eamon An Cnoic (IRE) |
8 |
10-00 |
The Angove Family |
David Pipe |
|
Generous Day (IRE) |
7 |
9-13 |
R G Whitehead |
Henry Oliver |
|
Warthog (FR) |
7 |
9-11 |
Professor Caroline Tisdall & Bryan Drew |
David Pipe |
|
Divine Spear (IRE) |
8 |
9-11 |
Middleham Park Racing LXII |
Nicky Henderson |
|
Didero Vallis (FR) |
6 |
9-11 |
Lady Bolton |
Venetia Williams |
|
Sky Pirate |
6 |
9-11 |
Lady Bamford & Alice Bamford |
Jonjo O'Neill |
|
Vaniteux (FR) |
10 |
9-10 |
C R Leech |
Sophie Leech |
|
Not That Fuisse (FR) |
6 |
9-10 |
Colm Donlon |
Dan Skelton |
|
Go Long (IRE) |
9 |
9-05 |
William & Angela Rucker |
Evan Williams |
|
Molineaux (IRE) |
8 |
9-04 |
John and Heather Snook |
Colin Tizzard |
38 entries
2 Irish-trained
