Royale Pagaille set to compete in the Cotswold Chase
Betfair Chase champion set to strengthen Cheltenham Gold Cup hand
Royale Pagaille, the formidable winner of the Betfair Chase, will have the opportunity to further enhance Venetia Williams’ chances in the upcoming Cheltenham Gold Cup as he gears up for the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase.
Owned by Rich and Susannah Ricci, this 10-year-old powerhouse displayed his prowess at Haydock in November when he triumphed in his first-ever Grade One event. Now, Royale Pagaille is one of six entries for the prestigious blue riband trial at Prestbury Park on Saturday.
The plan was originally for Royale Pagaille to return to his preferred Merseyside venue and take on the Peter Marsh challenge before winter weather conditions disrupted those plans. However, trainer Venetia Williams is more than content with heading back to Cheltenham where Royale Pagaille could follow in stablemate L’Homme Presse’s footsteps after a dazzling victory in Lingfield’s Fleur De Lys Chase.
“He’s been performing well since winning at Haydock (Betfair Chase). The Peter Marsh looked like a great opportunity for him but considering he has had decent runs at Cheltenham before, we are excited about seeing how he fares there,” said Williams.
Williams continued: “If you analyze his performance in a straight line from his impressive run at Haydock, it suggests that given his age and experience, he is currently performing at his peak. So, let’s hope for the best and see how we get on.”
Joining Royale Pagaille in the Cotswold Chase are Patrick Neville’s King George fourth-place finisher The Real Whacker and Paul Nicholls’ promising novice Stay Away Fay, both of whom have enjoyed success at last year’s Cheltenham Festival. Lucinda Russell will also be hoping that a return to the Cotswolds can inspire Ahoy Senor, who emerged victorious in this race twelve months ago. Rounding out the field are Jamie Snowden’s Coral Gold Cup hero Datsalrightgino and Irish raider Capodanno.
In another exciting event, although there may not be Constitution Hill competing in the Unibet Hurdle, fans can still expect a highly competitive race with ten contenders vying for glory at this stage.
Renowned trainer Willie Mullins has three potential runners including Festival winners Impaire Et Passe and Lossiemouth alongside their stablemate Gala Marceau who has also tasted Grade One success. However, both Lossiemouth and Gala Marceau are currently engaged at Doncaster on the same afternoon.
Rubaud has established himself as one of Britain’s top two-mile hurdlers this season after an impressive performance behind Constitution Hill during Christmas. Meanwhile, James Owen is giving Triumph Hurdle favorite Burdett Road the option to compete against open company despite being entered in a separate trial event earlier on.
Love Envoi has had her recent outings disrupted by adverse weather conditions at Sandown and Lingfield but now she gets a chance to shine once again on home turf where she boasts an excellent record.
“We considered going to Lingfield but unfortunately that wasn’t possible due to external factors. However, Love Envoi will have the opportunity to run in the International on Saturday,” said Noel Fehily, representing her owners Noel Fehily Racing Syndicates.
Fehily added: “She has previously performed well on the New course and is currently in great form. We are truly excited about getting her back out there. Although there may be a few Irish horses crossing over, it’s still going to be a competitive race with substantial prize money at stake. But we’re ready for the challenge.”
Completing this thrilling card is the McCoy Contractors Cleeve Hurdle where some of the finest staying hurdlers will battle it out for supremacy.
Emma Lavelle’s Paisley Park, aiming for his fourth victory in the race, leads an impressive field of ten entrants. Dashel Drasher, another seasoned campaigner who finished second in this race last year before securing another runner-up spot in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham Festival, aims to go one better this time around.
Nicky Henderson may call upon both Champ and Marie’s Rock as strong contenders while Emmet Mullins’ Grand National hero Noble Yeats and Dan Skelton’s West Balboa look set to add further excitement to proceedings.