IT’S déjà vu in the bet365 Gold Cup at the British National Hunt season’s finale at Sandown today, with the first three home – and four of the first five home – from last year’s edition all set to renew rivalry.

The race has a habit of throwing up dramatic and controversial finishes, and last year’s renewal was a contender for top honours in that regard.

Enrilo interfered with Kitty’s Light on the run-in in getting to the winning post first, and was subsequently, unsurprisingly, demoted to third place with the race awarded to Potterman, who was probably the third best horse in the race on the day.

Enrilo is now just 2lb higher than he was last year, as is Potterman, while Kitty’s Light is 6lb higher, but lots has happened in the interim.

Kitty’s Light hasn’t won since then, but he has run some mighty races in defeat. In seven runs this season, he has finished second four times, including behind Fusil Raffles in the Charlie Hall Chase, and behind stable companions Cap Du Nord and Win My Wings in the Coral Trophy and the Coral Scottish Grand National respectively.

Remarkable race

He was only five last year, he ran a remarkable race for one so young in a race in which there hasn’t been a five-year-old winner in its 65-year history.

He will have his ground and he will have his distance – an extreme trip on goodish ground is probably ideal for him – and we know that he can operate at the track. Also, he is tough, and we know that his trainer Christian Williams is dynamite with staying chasers. But he is short, and he has had a long season, in which he has taken on some arduous tasks over long distances.

This will be his eighth run of the season. He raced just four times last season before he went to Sandown.

Enrilo is obviously a big player. Paul Nicholls’ horse has run just three times this season. He failed to complete in two runs before Christmas, but he shaped encouragingly last time in finishing fourth behind Cap Du Nord and Kitty’s Light in the Coral Trophy at Kempton in February, in first-time cheekpieces, which he wears again today.

He was in front early enough in last year’s renewal, and he stumbled on landing over the second last, and this race has probably been his target for 12 months.

He goes well at the track too, he won a Grade 2 novices’ hurdle on his only run there before this day last year, and you can see him running a big race again. But he is favourite, he has been well found by the market.

Best value

You can argue that Potterman represents the best value of the triumvirate who fought out the finish last year.

Alan King’s horse was pulled up in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury in November, and he was pulled up again in a Pertemps qualifier at Wincanton on St Stephen’s Day, but, after a wind operation, he bounced back to form last time at Kelso in winning the race that Kitty’s Light used last year as a springboard to today’s race.

He stayed on well in the race last year and remember, without the interference he still would probably have finished a close-up third, and he is only 2lb higher now than he was last year. He could run a big race again.

The value of the race, however, may lie with Musical Slave. The Philip Hobbs-trained gelding lost his way a little last season, but this season has been much more like it. He was only beaten by two lengths by Win My Wings at Exeter in January on his seasonal debut, his first run back after a wind operation, when he was hampered when the leader Classic Ben fell in front of him at the third last fence. She has obviously improved since then, but he is 23lb better off with her today.

Well beaten at Sandown next time, he returned to the Esher track last month and put up a nice staying performance to beat last season’s Classic Chase winner Notachance by almost four lengths in a race that admittedly lacked depth. But he stepped forward significantly from that last Saturday when he won a good staying handicap chase at Haydock.

J.P. McManus’ horse travelled well through his race that day in his first-time cheek-pieces, and he stayed on strongly to get the better of a talented rival in Enqarde, who goes particularly well at Haydock, with the pair of them coming clear of the highly progressive Bavington Bob.

That run was only seven days ago, it is a quick turnaround, but he did run out an impressive winner of a handicap hurdle at Ludlow in March 2019 a week after winning at Market Rasen.

Incidentally, six weeks after that Ludlow win he came over to the Punchestown Festival and won the Adare Manor Opportunity Handicap Hurdle Final, proving that he could operate in big fields.

He can run in snatches, but he stays well and the step up to today’s extreme trip should be a positive. Also, he travelled well in his first-time cheekpieces last time, so hopefully the headgear will have the same impact today.

Novices’ Championship Final

Whizz Kid could be the answer to the opening contest, the bet365 Novices’ Championship Final. A winner over 10, 11 and 12 furlongs in Germany on the flat, he has progressed nicely over hurdles this season for Dr Richard Newland. Unsurprisingly, he couldn’t compete with Constitution Hill in the Tolworth Hurdle on his hurdling bow, but he was seriously impressive in winning his next two races, and he ran better than the bare form suggests in a conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle at Aintree last time.

In front or prominent from flagfall that day, he still travelled well when the ultimate winner Hacker Des Places joined him at the third last flight. He came under a ride at the second last, but he stuck to his task well, going down by a total of less than three lengths and only losing out on third place close home.

The winner came from just off the pace in that race, while the second, third and fifth all came from further back.

Whizz Kid did well to last in front for as long as he did. He has raced just four times over hurdles and, racing off a mark of 126 today, just 1lb higher than his Aintree mark, he could go well.

Recommended

Whizz Kid, 1.50 Sandown, 6/1 (generally), 1 point win

Musical Slave, 3.32 Sandown, 8/1 (generally [guaranteed]), 1 point each-way