A race with a storied history, the Coral Gold Cup is one of the standout handicaps of the jumps season. For so long known simply as the “Hennessy”, the race has gone under the watchful eye of Matty Sutcliffe, who has a 12/1 selection…
Headline Tip – Broadway Boy 10/1 (12/1 with 365/Coral) 1pt WIN
The Coral Gold Cup, still better known as the ‘Hennessy’, takes centre stage at Newbury towards the end of November and at the entry stage, it looks set to be a fascinating renewal should the majority of those to fore of the weights stand their ground.
Established in 1957, the historic handicap has been won by the likes of Arkle and Denman, and while the quality of high class National Hunt horses competing in this event has somewhat depleted in recent years, the competitive nature of the race still remains in abundance.
Colonel Harry tops the market at 10/1 for Jamie Snowden, who provided the GD Partnership with a monumental victory in the race with Datsalrightgino last season, who was going beyond 2m4f for the first time in his career. The son of It’s Gino travelled effortlessly in rear under Gavin Sheehan, picking off rivals one by one and jumping fluently, keeping on strongly to beat Mahler Mission by two lengths, who put up an excellent run from the front in second.
Last Five Renewals
2023:
- Winner – Datsalrightgino (7yo)
- Official rating – 148
- Cloth number – 11
- Weight – 10-7
- General track position throughout – rear/inner
- Season – 8th in G2 Old Roan Handicap
- Season prior – 2nd,1st,3rd,4th in C3 Novice Handicap Chases, 2nd C2 Novice Handicap Chase, 2nd G2 Pencil Novices Chase, PU G3 Plate Handicap, 1st G2 Future Champion’s Novices Chase.
- Previous course record – 3
- Record 3m+ – Unraced over further than 2m4f
2022:
- Winner – Le Milos (7yo)
- Official rating – 146
- Cloth number – 8
- Weight – 11-0
- General track position throughout – Midfield
- Season – 1st C2 Handicap Chase
- Season prior – 2nd, 1st in C2 Handicap Chases, 1st, 4th in C2 Handicap Chases
- Previous course record – Course debut
- Record 3m+ – 21141
2021:
- Winner – Cloudy Glen (8yo)
- Official rating – 140
- Cloth number – 17
- Weight – 10-8
- General track position throughout – Midfield
- Season – Seasonal debut (first run after wind op)
- Season prior – 1st C3 Handicap Chase, 5th C2 Handicap Chase, 11th G3 Welsh National, UR Listed Swinley Chase, 2nd G2 Kim Muir, PU G3 Handicap Chase
- Previous course record – Course debut
- Record 3m+ – 426150UR2PU
2020:
- Winner – Cloth Cap (8yo)
- Official rating – 136
- Cloth number – 18
- Weight – 10-0
- General track position throughout – Made all.
- Season – 3rd C2 Handicap Chase
- Season prior – 4th C2 Handicap Chase, 2rd C3 Handicap Chase, 2nd C2 Handicap Chase, 8th Kim Muir.
- Previous course record – Course debut.
- Record 3m+ – 133283
2019:
- Winner – De Rasher Counter (7yo)
- Official rating – 149
- Cloth number – 10
- Weight – 10-10
- General track position throughout – Tracked leaders
- Season – 6th C2 Handicap Hurdle
- Season prior – 3rd C3 Beginners’ Chase, PU, 7th C3 Handicap Chase, 1st, 2nd in C3 Novice Handicap Chase, 1st C2 Novice Handicap Chase
- Previous course record – 21
- Record 3m+ – 1
Notable Ten Year Trends
- The official ratings of the last ten winners is between 136-155 (Horses rated in the 130s only 1/10)
- Course form is not essential
- Top weights 0-10
- Highest in the cloth was Native River (4) in 2016
- 6/10 carried 11-0 or less
- 8/10 had previously won at least one race over three miles (Many Clouds and Datsalrightgino the outliers)
- 4/10 generally raced in midfield throughout
- 5/10 either made the running or tracked leaders
- Generally you don’t want something to be held up – Datsalrightgino again the outlier
- 8/10 had contested a race at C2 level or higher last time out that season
- Only 1/10 were making their seasonal debuts
- 7/10 won last time out
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Leading Market Contenders
We’ve briefly touched on Colonel Harry, who shares a similar profile to his stablemate Datsalrightgino who won this race last season. The son of Shirocco put in a good effort when second in the Colin Parker Memorial Chase at Carlisle on seasonal debut over the same distance of 2m4f that Datsalrightgino ran at en-route to here (Old Roan). He’s by Shirocco who can get stayers, including Le Milos who won this two years ago, and he’s out of a Be My Native mare who generally has an excellent record as the dam-sire of stayers.
The point-to-point winner has shaped on more than one occasion as if staying trips can bring out the best in him under rules, and having fared well in G1 Novice company on four occasions (2364) last season, a mark of 148 could underestimate him now going up in trip, despite being 3lbs wrong at the weights.
Broadway Boy is next in at 12/1 and he posted a solid RPR of 152 in defeat when a staying on third in a competitive C2 handicap at Cheltenham last time out. There was perhaps something amiss with him in his last two runs of the season when beaten 32L in the Hampton and 51L in the Mildmay, but prior to that he was a progressive staying with form figures of 1211 between 2m7f-3m2f, and he’s only 2lbs below his 56k G3 Handicap win when beating the likes of Threeunderthrufive and Protektorat at Cheltenham last December.
He mightn’t have been all that tuned up for his seasonal debut judged on those last two efforts, but it seemed there as if he’s put those issues behind him and he’s similar in respect to Colonel Harry regarding his favourable mark/weight, though he at least has an assured sense of stamina for this test.
Chianti Classico would have to be the first horse to defy a mark higher than 155 in the last decade, but he has the profile of a possible Gold Cup contender and there is a shade of Many Clouds about him. He posted a career best RPR of 161 when winning the Sodexo Gold Cup at Ascot off top weight last time out, making all and despite jumping left throughout, winning a shade cosily giving some 17lbs to the well backed second.
Kim Bailey has outlined other contests such as the Betfair Chase and the Becher Chase for his stable star, but carrying 11-6 around here would be a suitable scenario for him and if the conditions soften in the next couple of weeks, there’s not many I could see passing him up front.
Irish raider Senior Chief already has a British handicap to his name this season, having comfortably won at Cheltenham last time out. He’s clearly well regarded and was only 10/1 for the Irish Grand National, though failed to give his running in somewhat desperate conditions. He would have to improve again to take this from his revised mark of 151, and it remains to be seen how strong that Cheltenham form truly is given there won’t have been many seriously tuned up for it, and I’d at least suggests that Broadway Boy will reverse that form with him should they both line up here.
Mahler Mission is 6lbs higher than his second here last season, but returns without a prep race unless they get something into him within the next couple of weeks and with his form fresh reading 23222UR, I wouldn’t be all that enthusiastic about his chances from an ante-post perspective. That said, he ran an excellent race when beaten three lengths in a valuable G1 Hurdles race over 3m at Auteuil in May, finishing two lengths behind Hewick and there is an air of unfinished business about him. Connections may regret leaving him fresh for the Grand National last season, and I can see them using this as a stepping stone for further contests later in the season.
Outsiders To Consider
Monbeg Genius at 25/1 would have outside claims if the yard have him right this season. He was sent off 13/2 for this race off a 3lbs higher mark when third to Datsalrightgino, having jumped poorly enough throughout. He’s evidently got bundles of ability and was long thought of as a Grand National horse for connections, who have subsequently changed this season. He holds an entry at Bangor on Wednesday, and should he show up well there then he could look a fair price in here after that prep run behind him.
Midnight River is relatively lightly-raced over fences in recent years, having been off the track for 335 days after falling in this contest last year when a 10/1 shot. He returned with an eye-catching effort over an inadequate 2m3f in a small field at Wetherby earlier this month, giving 16lbs away to the field and only weakening late on having initially showed up well for a long way. Having won the big handicap at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day and the Freebooter at Aintree, he’s clearly a classy handicapper on his day and is back on that last winning mark. He’s a nine year old going ten and probably isn’t classy enough to step up to open G2/G1 chases, so this seems like the perfect race for him to get back on track should they try again.
Toward the bottom of the weights, Henry’s Friend is another of interest at 25/1 and connections have already outlined this as his early season aim. The son of Shirocco made giant strides in handicaps last season having been beaten off 128 on seasonal/chase debut, before rattling off a hat trick of wins, culminating in a game effort in the G2 Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase, despite being the worst of the four at the weights.
3m6f on heavy ground potentially stretched him at that point in his career in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham, but after a pipe opener over hurdles last week, this drop back in to handicap company could suit and he’s very much unexposed over the distance.
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Matty Sutcliffe is our man for the early value, and he is looking earlier than ever before. After this weekend’s racing, he has picked out a 25/1 shot for Wednesday at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. Cheltenham Ante-Post Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle – The New Lion 25/1 1pt EW 3 Places November is the month where a…
Mon 04 Nov 2024Verdict
At this stage, it looks a wide open renewal as you can expect. It’s a shame that Kim Bailey has already suggested that this race is the least likely of Chianti Classico’s targets, for all I would be a player on the day if they changed their minds. The six-year-old BROADWAY BOY gets the nod, as despite his younger legs, he’s already proved he can mix it with the classier, graded types. That prep run at Cheltenham last time out was rock solid, and he races off a favourable weight for a contest of this nature. He’s proven over the distance (1/1 over 3m2f), and if he comes on from that effort at Cheltenham, which was successfully used as a prep race for Cloth Cap for this in 2021, then he can put up a bold showing.
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