'It'll be a hell of a race' - Clan Des Obeaux primed for Punchestown defence

Paul Nicholls is looking forward to a "hell of a race" as he finalises plans for Clan Des Obeaux’s Punchestown Gold Cup defence on April 27.

Clan Des Obeaux skipped Cheltenham twelve months ago to pursue a spring campaign and that decision was rewarded with wins in both the Betway Bowl at Aintree and the Punchestown Gold Cup.

Nicholls has chosen to chart the same course with the ten-year-old this season and one half of the plan came together when, wearing blinkers for the first time, he comfortably landed back-to-back renewals of the Betway Bowl on Saturday.

Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup (April 27): full card and entries

With all being well, another bold bid at Punchestown can be expected. "Running at Aintree and Punchestown certainly worked out well last year," Nicholls said. "He had quite a hard race last week but he's come out of it well, so who knows.

"It'll be a good race whatever happens. It was always the plan to do the two and that's not changed."

Nicholls is viewing Punchestown with some trepidation, however, as fresh horses will likely lie in wait.

Clan Des Obeaux: a back-to-back winner of the Betway BowlCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

He added: "I wouldn't want to say I'm confident because I suspect some of those horses who ran in the Gold Cup, like Minella Indo and Galvin, will turn up. It'll be a hell of a race whatever happens.

"At the moment we're looking forward to going but he only ran last Thursday, there's plenty of water under the bridge to be 100 per cent sure."

Bob And Co edged out Billaway by a nose to win last year’s Champion Hunters Chase and Nicholls has confirmed he, like Clan Des Obeaux, will return to Ireland to defend his crown.

The veteran fell in this year’s Foxhunters' at the Cheltenham Festival when travelling well under owner-jockey David Maxwell but that perhaps should not deter from his chances at Punchestown, given he suffered a similar fate when unseating Sean Bowen in the same race last season.

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