Rapid improver will bid to bring up perfect ten Imperial Cups for Pipe family

Saturday's Paddy Power Imperial Cup at Sandown has been a popular and profitable destination for the Pipe family, with Martin and David recording a total of nine winners in the race dating back to 1989, and the latter-named has another strong contender this season in Main Fact.

Unbeaten in four starts in 2020, Main Fact has the profile of a seriously progressive hurdler and won by another decisive margin in his latest win at Wetherby on Monday.

Speaking on Tuesday, Pipe said: "He seems to have come out of Wetherby well, I'll speak to the owners and it looks like we'll go for the Imperial Cup. We entered him thinking we wouldn't get in, but he gets a 4lb penalty for winning at Wetherby."

Imperial Cup card

Even with that penalty, Main Fact, a general 8-1 chance for the Imperial Cup, will still be towards the bottom of the handicap and continues to look potentially well-treated.

The seven-year-old's rate of improvement was not expected by Pipe, who said: "I was pleased with his win yesterday and surprised by the performance – it shows he's still improving."

Amateur rider Fergus Gillard, son of trainer Mark Gillard, has been aboard for Main Fact's last two wins and will get a big opportunity on Saturday, as Pipe added: "Fergus will keep the ride. He's done nothing wrong and deserves the chance."

Pipe's Imperial Cup winners who headed to Cheltenham

1989 Travel Mystery second in County Hurdle
1993 Olympian won Coral Cup
1998 Blowing Wind won County Hurdle
2002 Polar Red unplaced in County Hurdle
2003 Korelo fifth in Coral Cup
2007 Gaspara won Fred Winter
2008 Ashkazar second in Fred Winter

Since 1992, any winner of Saturday's Grade 3 handicap hurdle has been eligible for a bonus should they go on to win at the Cheltenham Festival the following week, and this year the bonus is worth £100,000 courtesy of the race sponsors.

The double has been achieved three times – all by the Pipes. Martin Pipe was successful in 1993 with Olympian, who then won the Coral Cup, and Blowing Wind in 1998, who landed the County Hurdle.

David Pipe got in on the act in 2007 with Gaspara, who won the Fred Winter, and nearly followed up in the same festival race a year later with Ashkazar, who finished second.

Main Fact holds an entry for the Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle, but would be highly unlikely to make the cut for the race.

However, Pipe still expects to have six or seven runners at next week's meeting. He said: "We have two nice horses for the Champion Bumper with Israel Champ and Panic Attack, and we have Ramses De Teilee, who has been amazing this season, for the Albert Bartlett."

The trainer is going into Cheltenham in flying form, with five of his last seven runners winning before racing began on Tuesday.

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