Paddy Power Gold Cup Cheltenham tips: Matt Brocklebank's Antepost Angle preview and recommended bets

Recommended bets

1pt win Slate House in Paddy Power Gold Cup at 25/1

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It didn’t really need Frodon to remind us that Grade 1 winners do well in handicap chases and SLATE HOUSE is worth a bet for the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on November 14.

His intended participation is clearly still somewhat up in the air, with trainer Colin Tizzard recently suggesting the West Yorkshire Hurdle might be used as a prep race ahead of the Ladbrokes Trophy – ala Native River before he won at Newbury in 2016.

But with Copperhead heading down that route for the same yard instead, perhaps it’s been decided to go back to Cheltenham with Slate House, which makes lots of sense seeing as he does have a bit of unfinished business having fallen two out when still seemingly still in with every chance last November.

Bookmakers don’t appear to have reacted to the fact he’s not been entered up at Wetherby this weekend, while the yard’s other potential Paddy Power representatives have question marks hanging over them; Vision Des Flos still not looking a natural over fences when unseating in the Old Roan, and The Russian Doyen no lock to make the cut off his chase mark of 138 (he also has the option of the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter on Tuesday).

Slate House, on the other hand, has plenty going for him. He goes really well fresh, has bags of experience now heading into what will officially be his third season as a chaser, handles plenty of cut in the ground and, on top of everything, would be returning for another crack at this valuable prize off just a 5lb higher mark than last term.

That seems more than reasonable considering he went on to win at Huntingdon – when giving the now 145-rated Tarada (subsequent winner) 10lb and a half-length beating – and at Kempton in the top-class Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on Boxing Day.

That race fell into his lap somewhat but he cruised around for Robbie Power and stuck at it to hold off a really smart one in Black Op, with a long way back to Danny Whizzbang in third.

A crack at open company in the Cotswold Chase backfired in the New Year and he was then last of the six finishers in the RSA Chase here at the Festival in March, but I’m inclined to excuse those runs as it was surely one of the hottest recent editions of the RSA and I’m still yet to be convinced this horse is an out-and-out, three-mile slogger anyway.

A strongly-run two and a half looks right up his alley, on a course he knows very well by now, and I’ve no issues whatsoever when it comes to him possibly defying a mark of 152.

In short, if Slate House ends up being declared for the Paddy Power Gold Cup – a race for which he went off 4/1 favourite last season and arguably very nearly won – the current 25/1 on offer with Paddy Power and Betfair will be a distant memory, while the general 16s is hardly on the skinny side.

Staying up near the head of the weights, Simply The Betts went through the grades like a rising star last season and might not be handicapped out of it off a perch of 157. It’s worth noting his two wins here last year came on the New Course, however, while he was beaten a long way on his only previous run on the Old Course – albeit in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in his youth.

Imperial Aura, up a full stone now (also due to run off 157) having beaten Galvin in the big novices’ handicap chase at the Festival, has been a positive mover in recent days and has to be respected if this is the target, though it’s not hard to envisage him going really well in races like the Ladbrokes Trophy and quite whether he has the raw pace for this test has to be questioned now he’s almost favourite.

The current marker leader is the totally unexposed Saint Sonnet (7/1, bet365) for Paul Nicholls. He’s not been seen since a creditable effort behind Samcro in the Marsh Novices’ Chase and, in truth, if there’s one with a stone in hand still it’s most likely going to be this classy French import. He's priced accordingly, anyway, and won't be getting much shorter any time soon.

Al Dancer (14/1 generally) isn’t thrown in by any means but is likely to be there or thereabouts with a really good run under his belt already this term, while it’s also worth mentioning his Nigel Twiston-Davies stablemate Count Meribel (20/1), who got the nod in this preview last year when rated 4lb higher.

He ran well to be sixth that day but pulled up on his only subsequent start here in January and does look a shade risky with so much rain around, despite this being his only entry at the time of writing.

Posted at 1400 GMT on 29/10/20

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