Denman in for Aon test before going for Gold

Feb 5 2008 by Chris Wright, Liverpool Daily Post

DENMAN will face just a handful of rivals in Saturday’s Aon Chase at Newbury, but stable-mate and Cheltenham Gold Cup rival Kauto Star is highly unlikely to be one of them.

Paul Nicholls’s two chasing stars are vying for favouritism for the Cheltenham Festival feature, and both were among the 10 entries declared for Saturday’s three-mile Grade Two contest, won 12 months ago by Kauto Star. But the Gold Cup winner is still more likely to head to Ascot a week on Saturday for the Commercial First Chase as the build-up to the Gold Cup gathers pace.

Champion trainer Nicholls stated Kauto Star was entered just in case Denman was not able to make the race. The Ditcheat handler said: “It’s just an insurance policy in case anything happens to Denman.

“There is no change in plan at all, I just put him in in case anything should happen to Denman, God forbid.

“They are both 100% at the moment, Kauto is just there in case I couldn’t run Denman for whatever reason. The Aon looks the ideal race for Denman and they have both cantered this morning, but Denman runs unless something happens. Kauto is just an option.”

Kauto Star currently heads the ante-post Gold Cup markets at a best-priced 5-4 with Paddy Power, Boylesports and Sportingbet, while his stable-mate Denman is a 9-4 chance with Sportingbet.

Denman, who won the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at the Berkshire track in November, could face last season’s Gold Cup third Turpin Green on Saturday.

Trainer Nicky Richards will be hoping the Trevor Hemmings-owned nine-year-old can build on his win in the Edward Hanmer Graduation Chase at Haydock over Christmas before returning to Cheltenham next month.

An intriguing runner could be Donald McCain junior’s Regal Heights, an impressive winner at Ascot on his last start.

He has yet to be tested over three miles, although he also holds an entry in the 2m4f SBD Commercial Interiors Handicap Chase at Warwick on the same day.

The other six entries are Ferdy Murphy’s Another Promise, who has yet to run this season; Ollie Magern; David Pipe’s Celestial Gold; the Howard Johnson-trained duo of leading John Smith’s Grand National hope Bewleys Berry and El Vaquero with Sue Smith’s Mister McGoldrick completing the list.

TODAY’S NAP: Dickie Lewis (3.20pm Sedgefield).