RACING: Takagi, a winner on soft ground at Navan on his most recent outing, yesterday attracted most of the betting interest for tomorrow's Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury.
Edward O'Grady's seven-year old's odds were cut to 14 to 1 from 16sandMartin Pipe's Stormez went to 11 to 1 from 14 to 1 following sustained support for the five-year-old.
Peter Beaumont has his string in top form ahead of Hussard Collonges's bid for Saturday's big chase.
After the Brandsby trainer had saddled Atlantic Crossing to score at Carlisle yesterday he said:
"Let's hope it's a good omen for Hussard Collonges. He's in good form and Russ (Garritty) gave him a pop over our schooling hurdles this morning just to keep his eye in so we are hoping for the best."
Recent rain has eased the going at Newbury ahead of the two-day meeting which gets under way today and is featured on Channel 4. The ground on the chase course is now reported to be soft, good to soft in places but conditions for the big race are not expected to be too testing.
Clerk of the course Richard Osgood said: "We had 10 millimetres overnight and I spoke to the Met Office this morning and they are saying showers today and tomorrow and Saturday dry."
The prospect of better ground could encourage Carrutherstown trainer Len Lungo to run impressive Kelso winner Direct Access in the Hennessy. He said: "I'm going to get, hopefully, an accurate as possible weather forecast in the morning and then make a decision.
"The weather doesn't seem to have been as bad down there as was forecast - I don't want the ground to be too testing for him.
"I know he is 10lb out of the handicap with only 9st 4lb but he has been raised 9lb anyway since the weights came out so he will be running off a mark which the handicapper thinks reflects his ability now."
Drier conditions should suit Gingembre, who finished second to King's Road in the 2000 Hennessy. Lavinia Taylor's eight-year-old went on to take that season's Scottish Grand National on a fast surface.
"He finished second to King's Road two years ago in the Hennessy round Newbury when they'd had a deluge of rain but he wouldn't want it sticky on Saturday," his jockey Andrew Thornton said yesterday.
Gingembre returned to action for the first time since his Ayr victory, after being sidelined through injury, in Wetherby's Charlie Hall Chase and ran with credit to finish a two-length third to Marlborough after surviving a bad blunder at the second fence.
"It was an exciting race to ride in," Thornton said. "He made a terrible mistake at the second which put us totally out of the race and then it was a case of just pop round and make sure he has a good introduction because it was his first run for about 18 months and he got within a couple of lengths of Marlborough which after what happened at the second fence was pretty miraculous."
Last week Gingembre had a bad scope but Thornton now reports the gelding in good shape. He said: "He worked on Tuesday and he was scoped afterwards and we were very pleased with how things went. "He's in real good form."
GOLD CUP BETTING: 7-1 Bounce Back, Harbour Pilot, 8-1 Hussard Collonges, 9-1 Stormez, 10-1 Frosty Canyon, Gola Cher, 12-1 Direct Access, Gingembre, Ad Hoc, Gunther McBride, Iznogoud, 14-1 Takagi,Southern Star, Whitenzo, 16-1 Carbury Cross, Take Control, Marlborough, Be My Royal, 20-1 bar.
Following an inspection at Clonmel yesterday morning, the chase course was found to be unfit for racing and the three chases scheduled for Sunday, December 8th, have been abandoned. Two of the remaining races will be divided to make a six-race programme.
