John McConnell Excited about Mahler Mission’s Chances in Coral Gold Cup

John McConnell is filled with anticipation as he sets his sights on the upcoming Coral Gold Cup at Newbury for his talented horse, Mahler Mission.

A Promising Comeback Run:

Mahler Mission had an unfortunate mishap during last season’s National Hunt Chase at the prestigious Cheltenham Festival. Just two fences away from victory, he stumbled and crashed out of contention. However, after a long hiatus, Mahler Mission made a promising comeback run at Carlisle on Sunday.

In the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase in Cumbria over the weekend, running over an inadequate distance of two and a half miles, Mahler Mission took charge from the start. Although eventually overtaken by Thunder Rock – an impressive opponent trained by Olly Murphy – Mahler Mission finished second with a comfortable ten-length lead over the rest of the field.

McConnell couldn’t be happier with this performance in defeat. He stated that they wanted to get a clear round following what happened at Cheltenham and that overall it was a really nice race for their horse despite being slightly short on distance.

The Future looks Bright:

Eager to maximize their chances of success, McConnell plans to step up Mahler Mission’s distance for the Coral Gold Cup. The left-handed track at Newbury, with its ideal trip and Mahler Mission’s current weight advantage of 10st 10lb, make it an obvious target.

While acknowledging that the weights could increase slightly, McConnell believes anything below 11st would be a desirable racing weight. Reflecting on his potential chances in the upcoming race, he expressed optimism about Mahler Mission’s abilities and highlighted that the horse tends to perform better when going left-handed.

A Competitive Field:

Mahler Mission is among the top contenders still in contention for the Coral Gold Cup following the latest acceptance stage. Lucinda Russell’s Ahoy Senor currently leads the weights with a burden of 12 stone while Corach Rambler (11st 4lb), Grand National hero trained by Russell, is also part of this competitive race after an underwhelming return at Kelso last month.

The field also includes Protektorat (11st 11lb) trained by Dan Skelton and Royale Pagaille (11st 5lb) from Venetia Williams’ yard – both strong contenders. Interestingly, despite being pulled up at Ascot over the weekend, Monbeg Genius trained by Jonjo O’Neill remains popular among punters as he reclaimed his position as favorite with odds of 7-1 according to Coral bookmakers.

With intriguing perplexities and inconsistencies shaping up ahead of this thrilling event, fans can look forward to witnessing an intense battle between these talented horses vying for glory in December!