Qaspal: needs at least six horses to defect to get a run in Imperial Cup

  PICTURE: Mark Cranham  

Hobbs targeting Imperial Cup bonus with Qaspal

PHILIP HOBBS was on Tuesday hopeful that his progressive hurdler Qaspal could sneak into the Paddy Power Imperial Cup at Sandown on Saturday.

The field size limit is 26 runners and the six-year-old needs at least six of those above him in the handicap to defect in order to make the line up.

Should the 7-1 shot make it to Sandown he would be returning to the scene of his latest victory in his bid for a three-timer.

Racing off a mark of 124, he is currently set to carry 10st 3lb, although the weights could go up should the top weight be withdrawn at the declaration stage.

Speaking on At The Races after racing at Exeter on Tuesday, Hobbs said: "He won well at both Kempton and Sandown and I'm very hopeful of a good run.

"We are hoping to run at Sandown and Cheltenham but he may need to win at Sandown in order to get into one of the races at the Festival."

Paddy Power, sponsors of the Imperial Cup, have put up a £75,000 bonus should the winner be successful at the Cheltenham Festival. The JP McManus-owned gelding holds an entry in the Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle, for which he is a best-priced 16-1, and is also entered for the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' HandicapHurdle, for which he is best-priced 10-1. Both races are on the Friday.

Talking about his other Festival-bound horses, Hobbs said of Supreme Noviceentry Menorah: "He is in good form at home. We'll just have to put a line through his run at Ascot as the way the race was run wouldn't have suited him."

On Planet Of Sound, his Ryanair candidate, Hobbs said: "We schooled Planet Of Sound over the smaller obstacles to help him get his confidence back but he didn't really need it and he's done plenty over the full sized fences."

Hobbs nominated Triggermanin the Pertemps Final as his best handicap hope, saying: "He would have a good chance if he gets in but we'll need to see how many stay in and could be made to wait until the day before the race to know whether or not he makes it."