Rathlin Rose and Guy Disney bid for Royal Artillery Gold Cup hat-trick
3.00 Sandown
Castel Royal Artillery Gold Cup | 3m | 6yo+ | RTV
The Royal Artillery Gold Cup has long been established as a Sandown spectacular and Rathlin Rose lines up for the fourth time in a bid to land his third success in the race.
The 12-year-old, a winner of the 3m contest in 2017 and 2018, started this term with an ambitious tilt at the Velka Pardubicka, the Czech equivalent of the Grand National.
A respectable sixth there, David Pipe's gelding again ran a decent race with a third in the Sussex National at Plumpton last month.
Captain Guy Disney, who became the first amputee jockey to ride over the National fences in 2018, is another stalwart of the hugely popular contest, said: "He has a big weight but being a course-and-distance winner is an obvious plus.
"There are several in it who are on decent marks and have strong claims for it but I'm looking forward to getting on board again and having a spin round. I love riding at Sandown and obviously I'd love to win it again!"
Among his six rivals is the Lucy Wadham-trained Le Reve, who stormed to a 13-length victory in the Grand Military Gold Cup last March. It was a remarkable success for the veteran after falling in a pile up at Cheltenham in 2016, which resulted in a broken neck and a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Third behind the ill-fated Houblon Des Obeaux in a veterans' race at the track in November, the 12-year-old has since undergone wind surgery after being pulled up at Market Rasen in December.
Wadham said: "He's very well but has a penalty to carry. He's had a wind operation since his last run and this has always been the target."
Ozzy Thomas, placed in two Class 3 handicap hurdles this term, returns to fences for the first time since August 2018.
Billy Aprahamian, assistant trainer to Nicky Henderson and a regular in these military events, partners the youngest horse in the line-up,
the Charlie Longsdon-trained Diger Daudaie.
Longsdon said of the lightly raced seven-year-old: "We've got everything crossed for a good performance. He's got a good amateur on board and seems in good form at home."
The field is completed by the Richard Newland-trained Catamaran Du Seuil, a six-time winner under rules, Spanish Arch and Sentimentaljourney.
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