SAINT CALVADOS will have to have his wits about him as he looks set to lug around top weight in Saturday’s BetVictor Gold Cup.
But trainer Harry Whittington is happy with the weight ahead of the Cheltenham feature and was mightily encouraged with his win at the Showcase meeting last time out.
A summer holiday as well as a wind-op have brought his stable star forward according to Whittington, but there is one question the horse has to answer, the trip.
Of the 10-1 shot, Whittington said: “My biggest concern regarding the BetVictor Gold Cup is the trip. The 4lb rise in the handicap, I am happy with.
“Everyone keeps telling me he will improve for a step up in trip and let’s hope they are right.
“His jumping was a bit sticky last time and hopefully going up in trip might enable him to get into a better rhythm with his jumping.”
After Monday’s confirmation stage 25 remained in contention for the 160,000 pot, with the 159-rated Saint Calvados top of the lot after both Janika and Aso were pulled out.
Whittington landed his first triumph at the Showcase and is hungry for more after getting that monkey of his back.
He added: “I was just delighted to get a winner at Cheltenham, as it is so hard.
“You go there and get beaten so often that you start to think ‘how do I get a winner here?’ It was nice to get rid of that hoodoo!
Saint Calvados showed his class under @gavsheehan92 to see off Vaniteux and to win the @RandoxHealth Handicap Chase.
Lovely winner for @Harry_Whitt!
Tipped by @MrCallumJ in his preview.
pic.twitter.com/JyTLudn7Lh— Sun Racing (@SunRacing) October 26, 2019
“He’s only a six-year-old still and he is 17′ 3, a giant of a horse, and has always been backwards physically.
“All of us trainers say horses have done well for a break, but this time I really mean it. He had a good three months off in the field after the Champion Chase and did extremely well for it. He is more the finished article now.”
Saint Calvados has antepost-jolly Slate House, Festival hero Siruh Du Lac and Dan Skelton’s Spiritofthegames ahead in the betting, but his trainer still thinks there could be more to come.
Whittington continued: “The other positive from last time was we did not make the running this time, and he enjoyed it that way.
“He’s had some hard races and fortunately he has come out of them on the right side of it.
“Some horses can be soured by running in those type of races as a five or six-year-old, but it appears to have toughened him up.”
“We’ve introduced a new sand gallop, as everyone has been raving about them, and it’s helped with some of those really enthusiastic and keen horses in getting them to settle.
“Saint Calvados has done quite a lot of work in the sand and seems to be less fresh for it and more mature.”
