David Pipe is inching towards running Kings Palace in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday but stopped short of giving a final decision after the horse was schooled on Tuesday morning. “He’ll have a last-minute routine test but after this morning’s schooling session, I’m more inclined than we were to go for the Paddy Power,” Pipe said in quotes issued by the race sponsor.
The question of who may ride Kings Palace is expected to be decided on Wednesday when Tom Scudamore is examined by a specialist to determine the extent of his recovery from a knee injury. The jockey damaged ligaments in a fall last month.
Pipe sounds upbeat about the chance of his stable jockey recovering in time for the three-day meeting at Cheltenham this weekend. “He [rode] loads of schooling this morning and we put him through lots and he came out the other side OK,” the trainer said.
Kings Palace is 8-1 joint-favourite for Saturday’s race but his chance was called into question by Ruby Walsh, speaking through his blog on Paddy Power’s website. “I’ve always felt that the race suits two-mile speedsters who stay the extra half-mile, rather than the out-and-out stayers who are dropping back in trip,” Walsh said.
“Kings Palace will be travelling pretty much as fast as he can over the first three fences. He’s going to have to jump aggressively and meet them all spot-on. If not, he’ll be out of position early and will have to fight hard just to stay in contention.”
It is a moot point for Walsh, who expects to be riding at Punchestown this weekend. His most significant mount will be Faugheen, the reigning champion hurdler, on offer at no bigger than 1-7 to make a winning return to action in the Morgiana on Sunday.
“He’s the highest-rated hurdler in training, is in great form and worked well at Willie Mullins’s yard this morning,” Walsh said. “Most of the opposition may come from his stablemates but even the likes of Nichols Canyon and Wicklow Brave have to improve by more than a stone to beat him.”
