Today's news is good on the Gold Cup front. Trainer Tom Taaffe reports Kicking King "in great form'' after the 2005 winner's fine comback effort at Gowran on Thursday. Meanwhile the Festival remains firmly in the sights of Exotic Dancer, who was forced to miss tomorrow's Letheby And Christopher Chase at Cheltenham after suffering a setback. It is only a minor problem, and connections are looking for another prep race for Exotic Dancer before he bids to step up on last season's Gold Cup second.
It could be difficult to keep Nicky Henderson out of the headlines at Newbury today. The in-form trainer has a clutch of smart novice hurdlers this season, and Schiehallion (1.30) is reckoned to be in the major league. He won his bumper here in heavy ground last season and is said to jump really well. However, it will be interesting to see how Pressgang fares on this, his first run since finishing a close second in the 2006 Champion Bumper at Cheltenham.
The other major Henderson hope at Newbury is Mad Max (4.20). Connections are quietly confident their newcomer can topple course and distance winner, The Big Orse.
At each-way prices, Sunnyhillboy (4.10) can repay an interest at Doncaster. It may not have been much of a bumper event he won at Huntingdon, but Jonjo O'Neill's gelding hacked up and I gather he has schooled really well at home. The conditions race at Wolverhampton could turn out to be a tactical affair, but Hayley Turner is riding particularly well at present and she can prove alive to the situation on Baharah (4.00), who has the potential to be pretty useful.
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