Boylesport Gold Cup

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Boylesports.com Gold Cup 2007
15/12/07

Murphy Looks to Three Mirrors for the boylesports.com Gold Cup 27/11/07

Three Mirrors is set to be North Yorkshire-based trainer Ferdy Murphy’s number one hope as he bids for further Cheltenham glory in the £150,000 Grade Three boylesports.com Gold Cup (2.40pm) on Saturday, December 15, to add to the triumph of the yard’s L’Antartique in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at The Open on November 17.

L’Antartique

Entries for the boylesports.com Gold Cup, which is run over two miles and five furlongs on the New Course at Cheltenham, close tomorrow, Wednesday, November 28, and Murphy is likely to engage L’Antartique alongside Three Mirrors.

The in-form West Witton handler revealed this morning: “Both L’Antartique and Three Mirrors will be entered in the boylesports.com Gold Cup. We need to see how things go but Three Mirrors is the one we will be concentrating on for the race.

“We give him every chance - I think we will have a big run from him.

“We have given L’Antartique an easy time since his Paddy Power Gold Cup win and it looks like we will stick to the plan of going for the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown after Christmas.”

The exciting Three Mirrors is well-regarded by Murphy and won three times over fences in a successful novice campaign last term. After a promising fourth to Mister McGoldrick at Wetherby in October, the seven-year-old took his chance in the Grade Three Paddy Power Gold Cup.

Three Mirrors failed to trouble the judge, coming home 12th of 20 as L’Antartique stormed to victory, but Murphy believes that was not a bad run and his charge will have learnt a lot from the experience.

The trainer continued: “Three Mirrors made a mistake at the fence at the top of the hill, which was a crucial time in the race and without that I think he would have probably finished fifth or sixth.

“But that’s why we ran him in the race, to give him experience. We knew he was good enough to run in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, whether he was going to win it was always another matter. There is a fair bit of improvement in him.

“He’s fairly decent and to win these good races you need experience, and the only way horses get that kind of experience is by running in races like the boylesports.com Gold Cup and the Paddy Power. To run in these races you have to compete and Three Mirrors will be an even better horse next year. He will probably get further as well.

“He has gone on every ground we have run him on and the only preference he has is that he must go left-handed - he doesn’t look great right-handed. Saying that, he probably wouldn’t want the going bottomless or holding.”

The Boylesports International Meeting showcases two days of fantastic racing at Cheltenham on Friday, December 14 and Saturday, December 15, when the feature events are the £200,000 Grade Two boylesports.com International (3.10pm) and the boylesports.com Gold Cup.

The boylesports.com Gold Cup has a prestigious roll of honour and was won last year by the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Exotic Dancer, who ended the campaign as officially the second best chaser in training after finishing runner-up to Kauto Star in the totesport Gold Cup at The Festival and then winning the Grade Two John Smith’s Bowl at Aintree in April.

Local trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies prepared last year’s boylesports.com Gold Cup runner-up Knowhere and Patman Du Charmil to take third and fifth respectively in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at The Open earlier this month and both could return to Prestbury Park on December 15, as could the Henry Daly-trained Palarshan, who was fourth to L’Antartique in the same contest.

The highlight on Saturday, December 15, is the Grade Two boylesports.com International, which is one of the season’s major contests for Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle candidates and is the probable target of reigning champion Sublimity.

John Carr’s charge stormed to a three-length success over Brave Inca in the Grade One Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at The Festival in March.

The champion could face stiff opposition from the likes of the Noel Meade-trained Jazz Messenger, winner of the Grade One Maplewood Developments Hurdle at Punchestown on November 18, and last season’s Grade One JCB Triumph Hurdle hero Katchit.

Last year’s top class renewal was won by the previous season’s Grade One JCB Triumph Hurdle victor Detroit City, who prevailed by a length from the redoubtable dual Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle winner Hardy Eustace.

Boylesports, Ireland’s fastest growing independent bookmaker, is again offering an extremely generous bonus of £200,000 to any horse that wins the boylesports.com International and returns victorious in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

The exciting seven-race card on Saturday, December 15, commences at 12.20pm with the £20,000 boylesports.com Best Odds Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle over an extended two miles, and also includes the £40,000 Grade Two Steeplechase Company Centenary Relkeel Hurdle over two miles, five and a half furlongs, which last year went to the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Black Jack Ketchum.

The high class two-day meeting concludes with another Grade Two contest, the £35,000 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (3.40pm) over three miles.

The quality seven-race card on day one of the Boylesports International, Friday, December 14, features the £100,000 Listed boylesports.com Cashbacks Chase (Handicap) (1.20pm) over an extended three miles and one furlong.

The £23,000 BGC Cross Country Handicap Chase (1.55pm) over three miles and seven furlongs could see the great cross country specialist Spot Thedifference bid for his third victory in this race and eighth at the course following his sensational triumph at The Open on November 16, which raised a roar usually reserved for totesport Gold Cup winners.