'You hope this is a good slot for him' - O'Neill tries Cloth Cap in new sphere

Friday: Chepstow

It was not that long ago that Cloth Cap was sent off as 11-2 favourite for the Grand National but things have unravelled since April 2021.

He was pulled up at Aintree but ran with credit at Cheltenham on his seasonal reappearance last year before being well beaten in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury and refusing to race at Ascot.

Cloth Cap then finished third in the Grimthorpe Chase in March for Jonjo O'Neill and was pulled up in last season's Grand National, but has the chance to bounce back in Chepstow's veterans' chase ().

"We'll see what the ground is like," said O'Neill. "It might be a worry if it's too quick. He likes good ground, but doesn't want it like a road.

"You'd hope these veterans' races will be a good slot for him, but he tailed off last season. He seems in grand form and he'll go down the veterans' road but those races still take some winning."

Jonjo tries to keep his feisty Grand National contender Cloth Cap under control for his photo callCredit: Edward Whitaker

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls regularly targets this fixture, which he views as the starting point of the core winter campaign, and his five runners on Friday include Hugos New Horse, a lightly raced five-year-old who carries the distinctive Big Buck's silks of the Stewart family.

"He's a half-brother to Black Corton," Nicholls wrote in a Betfair blog. "He's a big backward type who did well to win on his debut. He's needed time, has done loads of schooling, shows plenty of ability and should be a ready-made winner of a novice hurdle."

Chris Gordon will keep an eye on the ground for Press Your Luck, a useful hurdler who makes his debut over fences in the novice chase () sponsored by bloodstock agent Tom Malone.

"I'll get there and walk the track to make sure conditions are okay for him," the trainer said. "He's been schooling well and won an Irish point-to-point. I'm looking forward to it. He's rated 137 over hurdles and I'm pretty positive about him. He's a nice horse."

Gordon had his best campaign last season with 43 winners and Presenting A Queen contributed two of them. She runs in the mares' novice hurdle (), and Gordon added: "She's not flashy but is working well and her jumping has been super at home.

"We had a decent time last season and we've had a nice start to the new campaign, but this old game can kick you in the backside as soon as you get complacent."

Read more Friday previews . . .

1.50 Newmarket: 'I can't believe the odds and I expect our filly to outrun them'

2.10 Chepstow: Who can lay down an early season marker by mopping up a strong Persian War?

2.25 Newmarket: Unexposed or solid form? Analysis and trainer insight for the Oh So Sharp Stakes

3.00 Newmarket: Can Sacred follow up her wide-margin success in Thoroughbred Stakes?

3.35 Newmarket: Fillies' Mile: Gosden confident as Commissioning bids to back up big reputation

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