Haiti Couleurs did everything they could to win the William Hill Denman Chase at Newbury, creating a potential lead at the Gold Cup.
Rebecca Curtis’ pride and joy has put the handicaps behind her to win the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham last season, followed by victory in the Irish National.
This season he started with a victory over hurdles but then disappointed in the Betfair Chase, putting plans on the back burner. However, he came back in style to win the Welsh National.
Sean Bowen wanted to make it a real test on the very soft ground, but his usual steady jump wasn’t as smooth as in the past, meaning he ended up at the bottom of his fences.
L’Homme Presse and Leave Of Absence both closed near the third last, but that was when Haiti Couleurs’ endurance kicked in and he put a nice foot into the ground to win by seven lengths.
Paddy Power cut the winner from 10-1 to 7-1 for the Gold Cup, with Curtis delighted to see her pre-race nerves turn into excitement for the Cheltenham Festival blue pennant.
She said: “There were a lot of expectations today and he has gone and shown that he should have a chance in the Gold Cup. L’Homme Presse is a very good benchmark and although I’m not saying he has beaten a Gold Cup field, he has done very well.”
“I was very nervous and I’m just glad it’s out of the way. He likes to be ridden in a positive way and we weren’t going to change that and just keep it simple.
“I was convinced he was more than a handicapper and it’s not like he’s been beaten on a handicap and you know where their target is. He’s practically unbeaten in handicapping and we probably still don’t know where his ceiling is.”
“He will enjoy the Gold Cup journey and he loves going up and down hills and undulating tracks. It was Sean who said how much he loves going down hills fast and that he has great balance.”
Champion jockey Sean Bowen can now also look forward to taking a flagship to Prestbury Park as he still searches for an elusive first attack at the National Hunt showpiece meeting.
Bowen said: “He was a bit cold on his own at the front and he never had to run from the start. He was careful early on and warmed up well and then even showed some foot movement as they came towards him and I was surprised how well he accelerated.”
“He’s just a good horse and he makes it easy. He’s going to be a horse that goes three miles around Cheltenham and then up the hill, that will really suit him. Whether he’s good enough or not I don’t know, but everything will suit him on the day.”
“He loves Cheltenham, which is a great asset for any Gold Cup horse and he will stay all day and jump and he just does things like a good horse. Whether he is good enough after the last final we don’t know, but he will certainly be there as a pitcher.”
He added: “You want to race in Gold Cups and I’ve only raced one and finished fourth, so finishing a few places higher would be nice.”
#Haiti #Couleurs #establishes #Gold #Cup #case #Denman #victory #Races