An exhilarating renewal of the Paddy Power Gold Cup is set to light up Cheltenham on Saturday afternoon, as a field full of intrigue heads to the 2m 4f 44y start. Ginny’s Destiny is a hot favourite for the race, but our in-house tipster Steve Chambers is taking on the Paul Nicholls-trained raider and expects a proven Grade 1 winner to land victory.
GINNY’S DESTINY
(Harry Cobden/Paul Nicholls)
Second to Grey Dawning in the Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, Ginny’s Destiny was then well beaten by nine lengths in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree. Downed by Il Etaits Temps, the Paul Nicholls-trained star will return to Cheltenham for this event and off 155 looks a leading player. Looking to show his hand as a potential Cheltenham Gold Cup contender, the Ditcheat raider is one of the proven class acts in the race and with excellent course form is the one to beat.
GA LAW
(Gavin Sheehan/Jamie Snowden)
A winner of this race back in 2022 off a mark of 142, Ga Law will take his chance off 155 in this year’s contest, but Jamie Snowden’s proven class act is another towards the head of the weights that adds a big element of class to the contest. A decent second placed finish at Chepstow last month is sure to have sharpened him up and another with a fine record around Prestbury Park he has to be considered a huge contender, but is he too high in the weights?
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Thu 14 Nov 2024IMAGINE
(Paul O’Brien/Harry Derham)
Fifth in the 2023 Martin Pipe when trained by Gordon Elliott, Imagine has improved dramatically for the switch to fences and he heads into this event on the back of two wins and a fourth over the larger obstacles. Having his first run for Harry Derham, the six-year-old has not been seen since January, but a mark of 145 looks workable for a horse that could turn into a potential Graded chaser by the end of the season.
THE FIELD
It’s a wide open field for this year’s race and plenty will line up believing they can win it. Il Ridoto adds more strength to the Nicholls charge, but he’s been beaten in this race before, and while he should run well for a long way he can often find a few too good. Fugitif is sure to be doing all his best work in the closing stages, but is certainly an eye-catcher for each-way players, while In Excelsis Deo and Lets Go Champ are another brace of emerging chasers that could play a starring role here. The most fascinating runner is Dan Skelton’s Protektorat, who stormed to a Grade 1 win in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham in March and is the real top notcher of the field. He will have the hefty burden of top weight and nearly has to give at least a stone to all his rivals, but he’s proven around the track and is a top class middle distance chaser, and if he can get into a rhythm over his fences then could be tough to catch.
VERDICT
The nine-year-old PROTEKTORAT does have a lot of weight in this, but while others have something to prove he has shown he can deliver the goods on the big stage and at double-figured odds he looks the one to beat. Likely to track the leaders, he could well open up coming down the hill and get his rivals at it a long way from home and having shown he excels over this trip then he could get the better of Ginny’s Destiny with Fugitif staying on for third.
2024 Paddy Power Gold Cup Predicted 1-2-3
- Protektorat
- Ginny’s Destiny
- Fugitif
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