HENDERSON 20-1 TO WIN BOTH ARKLE AND RSA
Somersby runs at Hereford on Sunday
Nicky Henderson has an awesome record at the Cheltenham Festival and he looks to have a major hand in both the Arkle Chase and the RSA Chase this year after today’s entries were revealed by Cheltenham. Paddy Power make the Lambourn handler a 20-1 chance to win both races.
NIcky Henderson
Henderson is a 6-4 shot with Paddy to win the RSA Chase and a 6-1 chance to land the Arkle.
Punchestowns, a very easy winner of a Grade 2 novices’ chase at Newbury in November, is 7-2 favourite for the RSA with Paddy Power, while Long Run, a 6-1 chance for the same event and 12-1 shot for the Arkle with Power, cruised away before the last before landing the Grade 1 Feltham Novices’ Chase at Kempton over Christmas.
Henderson said: “I don’t know where Punchestowns is going but he is ready and will run next week and the RSA is the plan along with Long Run, who has entries in the RSA and Arkle.
“I don’t know where Long Run is going to run next yet – we’re sort of in discussions.”
Henry Daly was delighted to see Mighty Man make it two out of two over fences at Huntingdon on Wednesday, when he was cut to 14-1 (from 20) by Paddy Power for the RSA, and will give his charge one more run before tackling the championship staying novices’ chase.
He said: “I just don’t know where that outing will be and I will have to go through the programme book.”
Alan King’s horses have been flying in recent weeks after a bad season by his standards, although he must have been frustrated to see Bensalem, a 20-1 shot with the galaxy’s friendliest bookie for the RSA, take a tumble when challenging three out in a Grade 2 won by Diamond Harry last weekend.
Noel Williams, King’s assistant, said: “Bensalem seems ok and he came out of the race with a sort of swollen knee. I haven’t actually seen him but I’ve not heard anything bad and Alan seems to be happy with him.
“I don’t know what the plan is now and we’ve got to wait for his knee to go down.
“If he had stood up, he would certainly have made a good race of it wouldn’t he? He was going well enough to certainly lay down a good challenge on the winner. We’re certainly not giving up on him and we know that he is a very nice horse. It was just one of those things and thank God that he’s ok.”
Paddy Power himself said: “Our market has the RSA Chase down as a Nicky Henderson benefit but it looks like being a truly competitive race after Diamond Harry threw down his credentials last weekend. Mind you, tell me a race at Cheltenham that isn’t truly competitive and I might buy a wee share in a horse being aimed at it!”
RSA Chase
Paddy Power bets: 7-2 Punchestowns, 6 Long Run, 7 Diamond Harry, 9 Mikael D’Haguenet, 10 Weapons Amnesty, 12 Pandorama, Weird Al, 14 Mighty Man, 20 Bensalem, Seven Is My Number, 25 bar
Meanwhile Hereford will be graced by the presence of unbeaten chaser Somersby, who is 7-1 with Paddy Power for the Arkle, on Sunday with the multiple champion jockey in the saddle.
Trainer Henrietta Knight said: “I think that he’s running on Sunday at Hereford. He always goes very well at home. I chose Hereford to get a run into him before Cheltenham but also to get AP McCoy because he can go there.”
Riverside Theatre and Mad Max, trained by Henderson and who have both graced Kempton with victories in the last two months, also feature towards the top of Power’s betting for the Arkle and are 12-1 and 16-1 respectively.
Henderson said: “All is going well with Riverside Theatre at home and he’s not going to run again before the Arkle. I think that he wants to be very fresh.
“Mad Max is also in the Arkle and he’ll have another run obviously but where I don’t know at the moment.”
Captain Cee Bee head’s Power’s market at 4-1, while Osana, trained by Edward O’Grady, is a 14-1 chance and the most notable absentee would appear to be Zaarito, who was a 16-1 shot.
Arkle
Paddy Power bets: 4 Captain Cee Bee, 5 Sizing Europe, 7 Somersby, 8 Tataniano, 10 Mikael D’Haguenet, 12 Long Run, Riverside Theatre, Sports Line, 14 Osana, 16 An Cathaoir Mor, Mad Max, 25 bar
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