Ground Conditions Put Paid to Jagwar ´ S Cheltenham Bid
Ante-post Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase preferred Jagwar has been eliminated of Saturday's Cheltenham showpiece, being declared a non-runner due to ground conditions.
The prestigious early-season contest had been a long-held prepare for the training group Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero because landing the Plate with ease at the Cheltenham Festival, and although confident ahead of the race the group will have to hold off running their JP McManus-owned gelding.
He was due to bring top-weight around Cheltenham and with the ground quickly deteriorating on Friday due to relentless rain, connections have chosen to keep their powder dry with the six-year-old.
It was a bleak scene at Cheltenham at the close of racing on Friday (David Davies for The Jockey Club)
"It is since of the method the ground has gone, it was going to be very hard for him so we have actually chosen with Oliver and Josh that we'll wait for another day," said Frank Berry, racing supervisor to McManus.
"It's a pity to miss the race, but it the finest thing for the horse. It's no big deal and he was prepared to run, it's simply the ground has actually chosen him.
"We'll be taking a look at all the alternative races for him now as he is and was ready to go."
Alan King, a trainer who 10 years ago struck with Annacotty, runs Es Perfecto in the same colours - a gelding who finished only 9 lengths behind Caldwell Potter when 5th at the Cheltenham Festival.
"This has actually been his target for a long time and his preparation has worked out. I'm happy enough with him," said King.
Trainer Alan King is looking for another Paddy Power Gold Cup win (David Davies/PA)
"He ran extremely well at the Festival - he just got run out of the locations in the last 50 backyards.
"He's ready to begin back and we'll see how we go."
Paul Nicholls may be without the aforementioned Caldwell Potter, however can call on safeguarding champion Il Ridoto searching for a 5th win in the race, while Dan Skelton will saddle Anxiety attack, Hoe Joly Smoke and Newton Abbot winner Riskintheground.
Meanwhile, Sam Thomas has his string in fine type and Vincenzo is charged with striking while the iron is hot after some consistent efficiencies last term.
Vincenzo represents the in-form Sam Thomas (Andrew Matthews/PA)
"He put in some terrific races last season and I 'd rather discover where we remain in a top race than a regular race," said Thomas.
"And if he wins or runs well, we have those two-and-a-half-mile (races) at Cheltenham every conference near enough, so that would the obvious thing to do with him."
There is a strong Irish hand with Gavin Cromwell bringing over both Thecompanysergeant and The Other Mozzie, Paul Nolan runs Conyers Hill and Henry de Bromhead is double-handed with Turning up Easy and Theatre Native.
The former of De Bromhead's duo has won his last 3 over the bigger barriers and shows up on the back of a well-defined Listed success at Killarney for Darragh O'Keeffe, while Theatre Native will have the assistance of champion jockey Sean Bowen.
Turning up Easy and Jordan Gainford take Listed honours in the O'Donoghue Ring Collection Handicap Chase Henry de Bromhead can do no incorrect pic.twitter.com/g99UcNmj7K
- KillarneyRaces (@KillarneyRaces) August 23, 2025
De Bromhead stated: "They are 2 nice horses, and both are in excellent type.
"Turning up Easy has won his last three and did it perfectly at Killarney the last day.
"Theatre Native won well around there in 2015 and she 'd a nice first run back in Limerick, so hopefully she will step forward from that.
"We were pleased to get Sean to ride Theatre Native and we have two jockeys in type which is terrific."
Bad arrives in leading kind (Nigel French/PA)
The rest of the field is comprised of Venetia Williams' Hunter Legend, Gary and Josh Moore's Issar d'Airy and Ben Pauling's Bad, who tuned up for this with a win at Kempton last month.
"We'll learn if he's just a Kempton specialist or not. I think he's a various horse to the one I trained a number of years earlier," said Pauling.
"He ran extremely well in the Boodles (Fred Winter). I know he was almost preferred and wound up being beaten 10 lengths however he hit the front plenty soon enough that day.
"We will find out however if he's versatile enough to manage any track, he's going there in excellent order and he need to be competitive."