RACING:TODAY'S NEWBURY focus will primarily be on Denman's efforts to secure a unique place in Hennessy Gold Cup history but Noel Meade and Paul Carberry are hoping Pandorama will be able to join an exclusive club of his own.
Only Arkle (1964 and 1965) and Bright Highway (1980) have won the prestigious chase for Ireland and today the unbeaten-over-fences Pandorama hopes to emulate them.
Last season’s leading novice is having his first start of the season but Denman’s presence at the top of the weights means Pandorama is among the 14 other runners racing off just 10st. “If everything goes right, I’m sure he’ll be competitive,” Meade said.
Denman, the Hennessy winner in 2007 and last year, leads a strong challenge from the Paul Nicholls team and will be attempting to out-do both Arkle and Mandarain, the only other dual winners of the three and a quarter mile November highlight.
Nicholls continues to issue positive bulletins about the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero and said yesterday: “Denman is in good order with himself. He doesn’t know he’s off a mark of 182. He is carrying the same weight he has in his other two Hennessys.”
Mouse Morris’s entry, China Rock, will miss the race due to a setback.
