Coral Gold Cup |
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| Grade 3 Handicap, Newbury 15:00 £250,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 3m 1f 214y, Class 1  |
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Resplendent Grey marked himself down as a serious contender with a resolute return to action in the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at Carlisle.
🫣 I was a huge fan of RESPLENDENT GREY for the Coral Gold Cup...
— Jake Price (@JakePriceRacing) November 2, 2025
🤔 But how much is he going to have left in hand with a new rating in the 150s?pic.twitter.com/8svyv0jGEQ
Last seen landing the bet365 Gold Cup on Sandown’s season finale, Olly Murphy’s striking grey was sent off at 9-2 for his reappearance over a trip that looked on the sharp side at two and a half miles. What followed was a display that blended class with grit, confirming that stamina is far from his only asset.
Ben Pauling’s odds-on favourite Handstands attempted to dictate throughout but never looked entirely fluent at his fences, finding a better rhythm only as the race unfolded. Resplendent Grey, meanwhile, was content to stalk in behind under Sean Bowen, the champion jockey sitting quietly until producing his mount after the last. Handstands battled back bravely, but the Murphy-trained chaser found more in the closing strides, edging ahead to win by three-quarters of a length with a powerful drive to the line.
Murphy, who watched from home rather than making the long trek north, was understandably satisfied.
“I thought it was a good performance as we left the headgear off, he was running over an inadequate trip and they didn’t go very quick.
“The favourite looked like he didn’t really enjoy being in front, he wasn’t at his best first time out last year and he probably wasn’t today, but my lad is a very, very good horse.”
“We’ll see how he comes out of it, but he’ll probably go straight to Newbury,” he added.
“His work has improved massively, he’s definitely sharpened up, but to be honest I’m a bit surprised I hadn’t really trained him for today and he will improve tonnes.
“Whether we put the headgear back on we’ll see. I’ll speak to Sean and see what he thinks, but he looked to travel a better than he ever has today.”
It was the kind of assured comeback that spoke volumes about both horse and trainer — a performance that hinted there may be plenty more to come when the distances lengthen and the stakes rise.
Connections of Myretown are eagerly watching the clock tick down to his intended reappearance in a race that looks set to be one of the highlights of the early winter calendar.
The eight-year-old took major steps forward last season, winning three of his five outings over fences and signing off in style with a superb display in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Now under the joint care of Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore, the Newbury feature on November 29 has long been the target, though his run there will depend on what the weather delivers in the coming weeks.
Scudamore explained: “He’s in great shape and we’re really looking forward to Newbury, we just hope the ground is OK down there. He’s in great form and he has been away and had a couple of gallops and schooled round Ayr the other day. He was very, very good and we couldn’t be happier with him so it’s full steam ahead.”
There is also an entry for the Betfair Chase at Haydock the week before, though Scudamore made clear that’s only a fallback. “If the ground was good or quicker there’s no way we’d run him on that, so it just made sense to have Plan B,” he said. “That’s what it (Betfair Chase) is, in case Newbury was looking very dry. It’s hard making plans at the moment as you don’t know what’s going to happen, but we’ve still got a bit of time so hopefully the taps will turn on at Newbury and the ground will be nice down there.”
All told, it sounds like Myretown’s comeback trail is right on track — provided the heavens play their part.
Coral Gold Cup (Grade 3 Handicap)
£250,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 3m 1f 214y, Class 1
50 entries
Going:
NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 /2P12- Grey Dawning 8 12-0 Dan Skelton
2 62142- Protektorat 10 11-13 Dan Skelton
3 2254-3 Monty's Star 8 11-7 Henry De Bromhead
4 5/2-22 Affordale Fury 7 11-6 Noel Meade
5 /902P- Intense Raffles 7 11-5 Thomas Gibney
6 111P-2 Handstands 6 11-3 Ben Pauling
7 30-821 Three Card Brag 8 11-3 Gordon Elliott
8 4C4-11 Spanish Harlem 7 11-3 W P Mullins
9 5PP3-3 Ga Law 9 11-2 Jamie Snowden
10 6411F- Perceval Legallois 8 11-1 Gavin Cromwell
11 333-21 Blizzard Of Oz 7 11-1 W P Mullins
12 2441-1 Resplendent Grey 7 11-1 Olly Murphy
13 11311- Haiti Couleurs 8 11-0 Rebecca Curtis
14 P/111- Mr Vango 9 11-0 Mrs Sara V Bradstock
15 /32PP- Threeunderthrufive 10 11-0 Paul Nicholls
16 144-42 Gorgeous Tom 7 10-13 Henry De Bromhead
17 P/11U- Jingko Blue 6 10-13 Nicky Henderson
18 22/11- The Jukebox Man 7 10-13 Ben Pauling
19 /105P- Le Patron 7 10-12 Gary & Josh Moore
20 2112P- Lowry's Bar 7 10-10 Philip Hobbs & Johnson White
21 12-221 Paggane 6 10-10 Faye Bramley
22 311P7- Victtorino 7 10-9 Venetia Williams
23 P3077- Ginny's Destiny 9 10-9 Nicky Henderson
24 0/PP-P Nassalam 8 10-9 Gary & Josh Moore
25 33325- Johnnywho 8 10-8 Jonjo & A J O'Neill
26 654FP- Now Is The Hour 8 10-7 Gavin Cromwell
27 122P-9 Hyland 8 10-7 Nicky Henderson
28 241P6- Monbeg Genius 9 10-6 Jonjo & A J O'Neill
29 /4172/ Annual Invictus 10 10-5 Chris Gordon
30 2123-2 The Changing Man 8 10-5 Joe Tizzard
31 /47P1- Cruz Control 8 10-5 Tom Lacey
32 117-41 Riskintheground 8 10-4 Dan Skelton
33 51F11- Myretown 8 10-4 Lucinda Russell & Michael Scudamore
34 4320-2 O'Moore Park 8 10-3 W P Mullins
35 21-P83 Heltenham 8 10-0 Dan Skelton
36 1121P- Katate Dori 7 9-13 Sam Thomas
37 33211- The Doyen Chief 8 9-13 Alan King
38 520P-F Grandeur d'Ame 9 9-13 Alan King
39 4-7720 Moon D'Orange 7 9-12 John C McConnell
40 /3312- Panic Attack 9 9-11 Dan Skelton
41 0P6-U1 Pic Roc 7 9-11 Ben Pauling
42 01-142 Doyen Quest 7 9-11 Dan Skelton
43 3UP0-P Chosen Witness 8 9-10 W P Mullins
44 3/030- Git Maker 9 9-9 Jamie Snowden
45 9-7238 Fascile Mode 7 9-9 Thomas Mullins
46 /112-9 Val Dancer 8 9-8 Mel Rowley
47 F/PP-6 Inch House 8 9-7 Paul Nicholls
48 32-347 A Penny A Hundred 6 9-7 W P Mullins
49 P511-1 Ask Brewster 6 9-5 Evan Williams
50 2123/3 It's In The Rain 6 9-0 Noel George & Amanda Zetterholm
NR 13211- Caldwell Potter 7 - Paul Nicholls NON-RUNNER
