JOHN McConnell’s Mahler Mission and Gavin Cromwell’s Stumptown are both aiming to become just the second Irish-trained winner of the Coral Gold Cup since 1980 when they line up at Newbury next Saturday.
Mahler Mission still held every chance at Cheltenham in the National Hunt Chase when coming down two out and made a pleasing comeback at Carlisle over a distance shy of his best.
“He put in an exhibition of jumping at Carlisle over a trip that was too short for him. He’s a very good jumper and was getting tired when he fell at Cheltenham,” said McConnell.
“Ben (Harvey) will be on him. He knows him and gets on with him. We’re looking forward to going for the Coral with a live chance.
“Ben has grown up with me, he started when he was 15. He did so well as a conditional. He has a good clock in his head.
“He’s a big horse with a lovely racing weight (10st 10lb). We were always going to go for one of the big handicap chases. This one is a valuable pot run at a lovely track which offers a fair playing field. Physically he looks as good as he’s ever looked. He’s not pretty, but he’s starting to fill out into his frame now.”
Gavin Cromwell has his string firing on all cylinders at present, highlighted by four winners across meetings at Navan and Cheltenham last weekend.
His Stumptown won at Sandown in February before being narrowly beaten by Angels Dawn in the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival.
The eight-year-old was subsequently pulled up in the Irish Grand National and has failed to trouble the judge in two outings so far this term at Galway and Listowel – but Cromwell is hopeful he can show his true colours in Berkshire granted suitable conditions.
He said: “His target is to go to Newbury. I hope the ground remains on the nicer side as he certainly doesn’t want it too deep.
“I think the English fences suit as he’s inclined to get in deep to a fence, as he did at Listowel and made a mistake. He seems to be able to get away with it a bit easier in England.”
CORAL GOLD CUP, NEWBURY, DECEMBER 2nd
Current betting: 7 Complete Unknown, Monbeg Genius, 8 Mahler Mission, 10 Midnight River, 14 Stolen Silver, 16 Stumptown, Our Power, 20 bar.