Horse-by-horse guide: BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup

A double-figure field and a quartet rated in the 140s at least fulfils the brief for a Premier Handicap, though it’s mostly established chasers, and the up-and-comers are thinner on the ground than usual for a race in its 23rd year. 

Let’s take a deep dive into the Greatwood Gold Cup, part of a bumper Saturday on Sky Sports Racing. 
  

1. TWINJETS

H Cobden | P F Nicholls

Has been a hard horse to peg over the years because of his waves of form, surfing another surprising surge at the start of this season with wins at Fontwell and Newbury, before an uncharacteristic blunder at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day. Favourite for that higher-ceiling race, off this mark of 148, needing to be nearly Ryanair standard (for which he’s entered) to defy it, and he won’t get it all his own way in front with Josh The Boss and Glengouly in opposition. The stable was responsible for the last top-weight winner of the Greatwood with Sound Investment (off 149) in 2015, one of the Nicholls nine on the race roll of honour.    

2. BLOW YOUR WAD

Freddie Mitchell (3) | G & J Moore

Won a Grade 2 as a younger chaser but fixed in the handicap off marks in the mid-140s in recent seasons. In at the deep end on his first start for the Moores (after transfer from Tom Lacey) when third in the Ascot Chase, though disengaged from Jonbon and Pic d’Orhy, and the handicapper has brought across some rather than all of his performance rating from Ascot of 149 to his actual mark, potentially well-in if you take it at face value. It would be unlike him not to hit a fence or two on the way round.

3. ISSAM

Callum Pritchard (3) | T Symonds

Incremental improver right through his career, but a bigger difference in him last time at Kempton with his most accomplished and assured performance yet to make short work of a pair who themselves look well handicapped, Madara and Rightsotom. The smoothness of his success is built into his 7 lb rise but Callum Pritchard – who has won on him over fences – takes off 3 lb this time, and a well-run race on this galloping course should suit his waiting game very well indeed. Lots going for him.

4. VINCENZO

Dylan Johnston | S Thomas

Got Booster Bobbed in this race last year in just his fourth chase and has continued to raise his game this campaign, like everything from a stable with a 32% strike-rate in handicap chases and across the board. Could have been dealt a harsher handicapping hand than the 5 lb he’s gone up in total for beating 26 of 28 rivals in competitive races at Cheltenham (twice) and Ascot, and one of the two that beat him was Panic Attack. His power is his process by which he does things efficiently and effectively, and therefore it will take some improvement or inspiration to get the better of him, as per his record this season.

5. HELTENHAM

C J Todd | Dan Skelton

Won this in 2024 when at the peak of his powers, but he’s evidently winding down these days and has a Constitution Hill-esque sequence of form figures, falling twice and tailing off when overmatched in the Ascot Chase. Always a chance one from this stable will revive from out of the blue but it’s hard to envisage in his case, albeit returning to his favoured venue where he’s won three chases.  

6. TEDDY BLUE      

Freddie Keighley (5) | Harry Derham

Adrenaline was up when he returned with a bang at Ascot, but he hasn’t been in the same mindset since, freshened up again for Musselburgh to no avail. Wouldn’t be hard to explain if he did pop up, especially with Freddie Keighley now taking off 5 lb, but he’s a hard horse to back.

7. JOSH THE BOSS

Mr Jamie Neild (7) | Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies

Novice who’s thriving on his racing, his one and only misstep excusable, for failing to stay 3m in the Great Yorkshire Chase. Rebounded when finding only Prairie Wolf too good at Newcastle, though that was only a week ago, and he had a hard race, plus he’ll be taken on for the lead this time by Twinjets, in the biggest field he’s faced as a chaser.

8. GLENGOULY

Caoilin Quinn | Faye Bramley

Had the element of surprise and a Sean special from Bowen when the 33-1-winner of the December Gold Cup, beating none other than Vincenzo that day, putting everything into it, and he was possibly still hungover when pulling up at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day. Given more of a break ahead of this but won’t be able to replicate the same strategy that bagged him a biggie, and doesn’t have Bowen this time, either.

9. TRIPLE TRADE

Brendan Powell | J Tizzard

Veteran who’s had 25 starts over fences but virtually as good as ever this season with two golds and two bronzes, though handicaps at this level demand more than the currency of consistency in which he deals. Will beat more than beats him but at the mercy of the younger legs in the finish.

10. PLEASINGTON

Charlie Deutsch | O Murphy

There was a whiff of stablemate Booster Bob about him when second here at 2m over Christmas, with a late rattle from way back, but he hasn’t run two races alike in his first phase as a novice chaser and was done with when falling at the third-last at Wetherby last month at odds-on. We’ve yet to see the full-power version of Pleasington but punting him to produce it here is a long shot, even with last year’s race still fairly fresh in the mind.

11. KOUKEO

K Brogan | Jonjo & A J O'Neill

The youngster of the party, aged 6, and chasing is his bag, highlighted by two wins straight off the bat, at Windsor then Haydock in quick succession, possibly taking the edge off him for Musselburgh when running flat as evens favourite. Missing a few rungs of the ladder to leap into a Premier Handicap, but at least it’s a departure in distance from 2m, a source for scope, remembering that his one and only hurdling win came when stepped up to 21f. But no horse has ever won this from so low a mark.