NICHOLLS’ MAIN PADDY POWER HOPE IS TATENEN
Leading owner Andy Stewart has told Paddy Power’s roving reporter that one of last season’s top novice chasers and beaten Arkle favourite, Tatenen, is trainer Paul Nicholls’ number one hope for this year’s Paddy Power Gold Cup, the first big race of the new jumps season, which is now only just over a couple of months away at Cheltenham’s Paddy Power Meeting on November 14.
Tatenen- Paddy Power Gold Cup
The Lost World gelding took a tumble at the third obstacle when 4-1 favourite in the Arkle before bouncing back with a fine second to Kalahari King in the John Smith’s Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree. He was then beaten over 20 lengths on his last start in the Cathal Ryan Memorial Swordlestown Cup Novice Chase at Punchestown on April 30.
Stewart said:
“When I spoke to Paul at this stage he has three horses that might run in the Paddy Power Gold Cup and stand a chance. Tatenen is his number one hope, while Poquelin and one of David Johnson’s horses, Chapoturgeon, would be joint second and he’ll probably enter a couple of others. There were a number of things about Tatenen’s run at Punchestown. If you have a look at his campaign last year, he fell at the third at Cheltenham, but we had him spot on for that. Then he had a very hard race behind Kalahari King at Liverpool where Ruby Walsh had to be quite forceful to be second. So Punchestown was a race too many. We’ll plod along in handicaps with him as I don’t think that he is a horse that can win the Ryanair Chase as he’s not quite that good. He started off very well over fences and could do a Turko and finish third in the Ryanair, but not win it.
“The two and a half miles of the Paddy Power is no problem. He won on his chasing debut at Aintree and we always thought that two miles at Liverpool was too sharp. Then he trounced the opposition at Cheltenham over a stiffer two miles and both Ruby Walsh and Sam Thomas said that he is crying out for two and a half. But we went for the Arkle [over two miles] and one reason was that five-year-olds don’t win the SunAlliance, although saying that Star De Mohaison did manage it. I think that two and a half miles is his ideal distance and at Cheltenham the stiff finish uphill is perfect. It’s unlikely that he’ll run before the Paddy Power.”
While Stewart doesn’t currently believe that his charge can win a Ryanair, he did again mention that race when asked what his charge’s Cheltenham Festival target might be? He continued:
“If he won the Paddy Power off a reasonable weight, all options over two and a half miles would be open. The Ryanair is a Grade 1 race over that trip and it would be lovely to take my friend Michael O’Leary’s sponsorship money!”
Stewart’s other leading Paddy Power contender, Poquelin, has winning form at Prestbury Park, winning a novices’ chase by half a length from French Saulaie last October before later finishing eighth in this year’s Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase.
The owner said:
“Poquelin would have a chance in the Paddy Power on the form he showed when he went from last to first in his first chase at Cheltenham.God knows how he got beat in the Grand Annual. He was beaten when the shortest favourite in the handicaps at the Festival and it was just one of those things. It has never been a great race for me, but it is always nice if Nicky Henderson wins that one.”
Meanwhile Tom Hogan is considering running last year’s Vincent O’Brien County Hurdle hero Silver Jaro in the Paddy Power Gold Cup. The County Tipperary trainer said:
“I might run Silver Jaro in the Paddy Power Gold Cup. He ran twice over fences early on this season and was placed both times. He jumped very well and handicapping is a possibility and we’ll see how he goes. Good to soft is his best surface and I would say that two and a half miles is his trip.”
Paddy Power himself said:
“Paul Nicholls has achieved so much and it seems incredible that he has yet to win the Paddy Power, although he has hit the crossbar three times with the runner-up. Tatenen and Poquelin look ideal candidates to provide him with that elusive first victory.”
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