Three previous course and distance winners at the top of the weights for the Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase, Protektorat, Ga Law and Ginny’s Destiny, headline 17 remaining runners in one of the feature Premier Handicaps of the November Meeting at Cheltenham.
Prior to final declarations for the £150,000 contest, Protektorat frames the handicap. That means Ga Law, who won this in 2022, and Ginny’s Destiny both have 11st 2lb on their backs, but the weights could rise 12lb if Dan Skelton’s Ryanair Chase hero doesn’t run.
Six horses rated above 150 remain in contention for the Paddy Power Gold Cup. They are Editeur Du Gite, a horse best known for his exploits over two miles rather than this test at two-and-a-half; fellow ten-year-old Janidil and December Gold Cup winner Fugitif.
Of those, Ginny’s Destiny is the ante post favourite with horse racing betting sites for Paul Nicholls after a prolific novice campaign around Cheltenham last term. A three-time winner of the race with the likes of Al Ferof, Caid Du Berlais and Stage Star last year, the Ditcheat yard will also run Cheltenham standing dish Il Ridoto.
Lower down the weights are more course winners of valuable handicaps. These include Silver Trophy scorer In Excelsis Deo and Madara, who has changed stables twice this year. The latter is now with one-time Nicholls assistant Skelton following a brief spell at Keiran Burke’s yard after leaving the care of Sophie Leech over the summer.
Lightly-Raced Imagine Prominent in Paddy Power Gold Cup Betting
Yet another erstwhile Ditcheat number two in Harry Derham has a leading contender for the race in Imagine. What this Irish import lacks in experience of fences may be more than made up for in untapped potential.
All online bookies and betting sites seem very wary of Imagine. A five-length fifth in the 2023 Martin Pipe over hurdles at the Festival last year, he won his first two steeplechase outings subsequent to that for Gordon Elliott.
Quicker ground is an unknown and Imagine lacked the stamina albeit under a penalty to land a Grade 3 over an extended 2m 3f at Punchestown in January. There is little to judge him on over fences, though, and an opening mark of 145 is guess from the handicapper.
Imagine is a similar price with bookmakers to Ga Law and Il Ridoto. Both know Cheltenham and the Paddy Power Gold Cup well. The former, trained by Jamie Snowden, has won two Premier Handicaps at the track.
Ga Law shaped nicely on reappearance when runner-up under a welter burden to Grandeur D’Ame at Chepstow. Good ground seem optimum for the eight-year-old and he’s only been nudged up 1lb for his two seconds either side of a summer break.
Il Ridoto, meanwhile, has one win and five placed efforts in Cheltenham Premier Handicaps at two-and-half miles. The assessor has taken a chance with the experienced seven-year-old by dropping him to a mark of 138, his lowest rating since the autumn of 2021.
In Excelsis Deo Out to Complete Unique Cheltenham Double
Following his Grade 2 success at the April Meeting, a summer run for In Excelsis Deo over in Ireland didn’t go plan. It was an all too familiar tale for the JP McManus-owned six-year-old when his jumping let him down.
Harry Fry cottoned on that mistakes over fences kept costing In Excelsis Deo races over two miles, so stepped him up to two-and-a-half in the spring. A luckless fifth in the Festival Plate in March, he won nicely going away on good ground in the Silver Trophy the following month.
In Excelsis Deo now has a career mark of 143 to contend with, but an attractive weight in the Paddy Power Gold Cup on his return if Protektorat does take his chance. Conceding weight all-round won’t be easy for the nine-year-old, but there doesn’t look as though there are many races for him.
Skelton may find plotting a path back to Cheltenham for a defence of the Ryanair Chase tricky. Protektorat would have penalties to carry in events like the Peterborough Chase and Silviniaco Conti at Huntingdon and Kempton respectively. His treatment there would be no less favourable than topweight in Premier Handicaps.
Punchestown Festival Grade 3 winner Lets Go Champ is one of three possible Irish raiders in the Paddy Power Gold Cup this year. Trained by Henry De Bromhead, the nine-year-old is now 10lb higher in the weights than his spring success.
If Protektorat runs, then Lets Go Champ will be the last horse running from within the handicap. That would put Hartur D’Arc 1lb out of the weights for Gavin Cromwell. The seven-year-old stays further and handles good ground, but could end up 4lb wrong with his Irish rating.
Paddy Power Gold Cup 2024 Verdict
More competitive than the betting suggests. Good going and his record first time out are reasons to be against Ginny’s Destiny, but stable companion Il Ridoto and GA LAW have lots of course experience too. The latter shaped really nicely at Chepstow when home well in front of the former. Both should come on for that run, though.
Fellow Cheltenham Premier Handicap winners Fugitif and In Excelsis Deo command respect too. The suspicion is that Protketorat has too much weight. Lets Go Champ is probably best of the Irish challenge, while Emerald Isle import Imagine must prove his stamina and looks plenty short enough for one so inexperienced at this discipline.
