Richard Rowe was yesterday already plotting a tilt at the 2000 Whitbread Gold Cup. His 12month plan paid off when Eulogy took the £100,000 contest at Sandown on Saturday.

And Rowe, who has become only the fourth man to ride and train a winner of the race, will again set his stall out to land the end-of-season highlight with the nine-year-old.

The trainer reflected: "It went very much to plan on Saturday. We had been planning it since last year when he had to miss the race because he got a touch of a leg.

"We were very disappointed then and that means we appreciate it even more now - especially as there is so much that can go wrong in 12 months."

Eulogy was given a clean bill of health after his three-and-half-length defeat of Betty's Boy in the Whitbread, which his trainer won as a jockey on Shady Deal in 1982.

"Eulogy is absolutely fine now," Rowe said. "He is very bright and you would hardly know he had had a race.

"We will have a look in a couple of days but there is nothing left for him now and I imagine he will go back to the stud for the summer.

"He will probably be back for an early-season campaign then have a midwinter break and come back for the Whitbread again.

"He will probably do most of his racing at Sandown as he loves the course and his owner Nicholas Cooper has a box there."

The Whitbread is often seen as a stepping-stone to the Grand National but Rowe has given no thought to aiming the gelding at Aintree.

"I haven't even mentioned the race to the owner and he couldn't get any more pleasure out of wining the National than he got out of winning yesterday."

The Whitbread was a rare highlight in a disappointing season for Rowe, who said: "It couldn't have happened at a better time for us.

"Looking back, we have only had six winners so there has been something wrong but there has been nothing we could put a finger in. The vets haven't been able to find anything.

"The horses have been looking great, winning lots of best-turned-outs, and working well but just not quite getting home in races."

Rowe was delighted to have been able to call on the services of jockey Barry Fenton, who was landing his second big chase of the season after winning the Coral Welsh National on Kendal Cavalier.

"Barry gave him a super ride," he said. "The horse can be a bit difficult but he made him look a very straightforward ride.

"Unfortunately he broke a collar-bone just before Cheltenham riding one of Nicholas' horses - so he was glad we were able to pay him back this time!"

Disappointing Whitbread favourite Bobbyjo was given a clean bill of health yesterday. The Martell Grand National winner finished only sixth under Adrian Maguire when chasing a £50,000 bonus on Saturday.

But trainer Tommy Carberry reported: "Bobbyjo is in great form.

"Adrian said he was going grand until he was blinded at the ninth fence and he nearly went. He was never travelling so well after that.

Aintree beckons once more for the gelding, who will not race again this season.

"I suppose he will be aimed at the National again," Carberry said.

"He will have a spring campaign, though he could come back early if the ground is OK."