Tweet

racing news /

Exciting Bet365 Gold Cup Chase to Bring Down National Hunt Curtain 26/04/13

This weekend sees a thrilling National Hunt season come to an end with the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown promising to be a fitting finale. The race is the traditional end point for the season and once again it is looking like a hugely competitive handicap for punters to enjoy. There is a stellar cast list engaged for the race, with the bookmakers struggling to decide on a favourite with any number of runners being well fancied to feature prominently.

Same Difference
© Racehorse Photos

Well Refreshed looks likely to take his chance for the in-form Garry Moore stable and plenty expect this progressive chaser to run a big race. The horse has picked up four wins from his last five races and appears to be heading the right direction which can only work in his favour at Sandown. It does appear though that he will prefer a bit of cut in the ground, which he proved last time out when winning the Grand National Trial at Haydock, ensuring his supporters should keep a close eye on the weather before opening their wallets but he's battling for favouritism at around the 10/1 mark.

Another horse who has to be given a real chance on Saturday is Same Difference who will take his chance for the Twiston-Davies yard. The horse won the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival last month and at just seven appears to be a staying chaser on an upward curve. As you would expect, Same Difference was given a hike in the weights following his Festival win but he looks progressive enough to run another big race at Sandown. Nigel Twiston-Davies is a trainer to follow in these big races and at around 10/1; Same Difference could well be worth a second look at a decent looking price.

Balthazar King
© Racehorse Photos

Elsewhere towards the top of the betting it could be worth running the rule over Balthazar King (16/1) for trainer Philip Hobbs. He was last seen putting up a bold show in the Grand National before falling away to finish 15th and conditions could be just right for the horse on Saturday. He is a former Cross Country Chase winner over 3m7f at Cheltenham so stamina won’t be a problem, while the good ground should suit the 9-year-old perfectly if the rain stays away this weekend. Balthazar King will have to carry 11st9lbs around Sandown which is a negative but is form suggests that he could have the class to run a big race at this level.

Punters looking for a slightly bigger priced contender for the Bet365 may well want to take a closer look at the well weighted Any Currency. The 10-year-old is an experienced chaser who was last seen finishing 17th in the Grand National at the start of the month which was a fair effort. The Martin Keighley horse is a strong stayer which will count in his favour and he could well be back down to a workable mark in this company. Any Currency is a general 25/1 shot for the race on Saturday which does indicate he has plenty to find on the form, but he is better than his recent numbers suggest meaning he could well run on into a place at Sandown.

When it comes to these big handicap races there are a number of trainers to follow and as already mentioned, one of those is Nigel Twiston-Davies. The former Gold Cup winning trainer won this race back in 2000 with Beau and we are taking Same Difference to give Twiston-Davies a second success. The horse was extremely impressive at Cheltenham last month and perhaps more importantly he looks to be one on the way up the handicap, as opposed to one on his way down.