Up For The Coral Gold Cup! Newbury Showpiece to Savour

Features | 24^th November 2022

The Coral Gold Cup is one of the great handicap chases of the jump racing calendar. The upcoming two day fixture at Newbury is one fans will simply not want to miss.

The Coral Gold Cup is one of the great handicap chases of the jump racing calendar.

It will be run for the 66th time at Newbury this weekend when one of the hopefuls will etch their name on to the roll of honour alongside some of the legends of the sport.

The list of previous winners is littered with the names of horses who went on to land the biggest races in jump racing. The Coral Gold cup has been a stepping stone for the winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, King George VI Chase, Grand National and even the Champion Chase.

This year’s entries contain the typical mix of progressive second-season chasers and battle-hardened stayers.

THE CONTENDERS

Corach Rambler – trained in Scotland by Lucinda Russell – is sure to be popular. He stormed up the hill to land the Ultima Chase on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival in March. The Grand National is likely to be his ultimate aim and he is still unexposed having had just eight runs over fences.

Threeunderthrufive is another contender who showed smart form as a novice last season. He is named after the score owner Max McNeill’s professional golfer father Ted posted in the 1951 Open Championship.

Remastered looked to be throwing down a strong challenge when he fell four fences from home in last year’s Coral Gold Cup. He is back for another crack having won over hurdles at Aintree on his return to action.

Joe Tizzard could run both Fiddlerontheroof and Oscar Elite. In the spring he officially took the reins from his father Colin, who won this race with Native River six years ago, at their Dorset stables.

Nicky Henderson could also be double handed with Chantry House and Diablo De Rouhet, while Irish trainer Joseph O’Brien could send Kerry National hero Busselton over to Newbury. It’s shaping up to be another superb race.

A LEGENDARY ROLL OF HONOUR

This 3m2f contest has been creating and confirming champions ever since Mandarin was successful in 1957. The first three runnings took place at Cheltenham but, when Mandarin won the race for the second time four years after his first, it had moved to Newbury.

In a quirk of coincidence, Mandarin was owned by Peggy Hennessy. She was a member of the family which founded Hennessy, the French cognac brand that sponsored the race for 60 years from its inception.

The early years of the race saw Arkle – still regarded by many as the greatest steeplechaser of them all – twice land the prestigious trophy after his big rival, Mill House, had also been successful.

Bregawn and Burrough Hill Lad were notable winners in the 1980s when Paul Nicholls twice won the prize as a jockey. He has since trained the winner three times, including twice with Gold Cup hero Denman, and he will be represented in this year’s contest by Threeunderthrufive.

Only Andy Turnell can match Nicholls’ feat of riding and training a Coral Gold Cup winner. This year Sam Thomas – successful on Denman in 2007 – will attempt to join that exclusive club when he saddles recent Ascot winner Our Power.

Bobs Worth and Native River both landed Newbury’s top chase within the last ten years before going on to Cheltenham Gold Cup glory but even that pair couldn’t match the 2014 winner for popularity.

Many Clouds stormed to victory four months before landing the Grand National. It was trainer Oliver Sherwood’s second Coral Gold Cup victory and it came 24 years after Arctic Call gave him his first.

Many Clouds’ owner Trevor Hemmings had already won the race with Trabolgan and he made it number three when Cloth Cap was successful two years ago. His colours were carried to an emotional victory by Cloudy Glen last year just six weeks after the popular owner had passed away.

Last year’s winning trainer Venetia Williams could be double handed this time with top weight Fanion D’Estruval and Cheltenham Festival winner Chambard.

It’s clear this year’s Coral Gold Cup is shaping up to be a spectacular race. It is the highlight of this weekend’s superb two-day meeting and there are some cracking supporting races in prospect.

It all kicks off on Friday when the Grade 2 Long Distance Hurdle and the Grade 2 Coral Racing Club Novices’ Chase are the feature races. Supporting the Coral Gold Cup on Saturday are the Grade 2 John Francome Novices Chase and the Coral Bet Bundles Intermediate Hurdle, also known as the Gerry Fielden.

This is two days of superb racing no jumps fan will want to miss.