The Doyen Chief team hoping to put 'frustrating' Coral Gold Cup bid behind them - but will this rival prove a class above?

Alan King's Coral Gold Cup plan with The Doyen Chief was over before it began after a disastrous start to the race and he seeks compensation in Friday's £100,000 highlight.

As the tapes lifted from a standing start at Newbury, the eight-year-old jolted backwards and blew all chance of beating his 23 rivals. He was pulled up moments after as Panic Attack went on to score.

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Things should be more straightforward here, with nine runners contesting the Cheltenham Gold Cup distance, although it will be The Doyen Chief's first run at the track.

King said: "Newbury was frustrating, but we've got to move on from that.

"This looks a nice race, but we wouldn't want it any softer. We could do with running him. The Coral Gold Cup was the plan, but hopefully things go better here."

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L'Homme Presse could have too much class

Some real star names have won this, from the likes of Kingscliff to Therealbandit and Grand National hero Mon Mome. The Package and Midnight Chase are also on the illustrious roll of honour, but a win for L’Homme Presse could arguably trump them all.

He has been at least as good, and in many cases better, than those who came before him, but has the weight to prove it. L’Homme Presse runs from a mark of 162 and has 12st to carry, with a concession of 16lb and upwards to the rest of the field, headed by Henry's Friend and Gowel Road.

L’Homme Presse is so far clear of these on BHA ratings that he keeps half of his eight rivals out of the handicap, and it could simply be a case of this dual Grade 1 winner having too much class.

L'Homme Presse: returns to CheltenhamCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Backing topweights in handicap chases since 2010 who were at least 16lb clear of their closest rival on BHA ratings hasn’t been a bad policy. There have been 184 such examples and 57 of those were successful in giving the weight away, which is 31 per cent.

That evidently supports the idea that class trumps weight, but it’s worth noting that the market has reflected their superiority. Despite their high strike-rate, the topweights have returned an actual/expected winners figure of just 0.97 when compared to the Betfair SP.

A £1 bet on them all would have lost you £27.04, so there is no value to be had, and those looking for a better wager could do worse than Herakles Westwood. He finished second behind Hung Jury here last month and reportedly looked to be in need of the run beforehand.

Herakles Westwood still ran the final furlong quicker than anything else that day, and Hung Jury franked the form with a good second at Sandown on Saturday. More is needed from Herakles Westwood from 9lb out of the weights, but Sean Bowen is down to 10st 2lb to ride.

The champion jockey hasn’t ridden at lighter than that in the last 12 months, and his presence will help Herakles Westwood, who needs plenty of encouragement from the saddle to show his best.
Analysis by Graeme Rodway

Going report

The going was changed on Thursday afternoon to good to soft, soft in places. Clerk of the course Jon Pullin said: "After a couple of dry days the ground has just come back a bit. We've got good ground on the cross-country course, having selectively watered it to get it to good.

"We could get a shower or two first thing on Friday, but only 1-2mm of rain. It'll be dry and sunny after that, with highs of 10C. It should be similar on Saturday. There's rain forecast, but after racing."

What they say

Ben Pauling, trainer of Henry's Friend
He's in seriously good form. When he won at Ascot, we'd planned to go back there, but this looked a winnable race. He should handle the ground and he ran well in the Ultima at the track after he got left at the start. He's in the form you could only wish for, so we're expecting a big run.

David Pipe, trainer of King Turgeon
He won this well last season and he's in good form. He ran okay in the Sefton but he was higher in the handicap and it was run at a much quicker pace, which didn't suit him. The step up in trip here should be fine for him and he looks to have a decent chance again.

Warren Greatrex, trainer of Herakles Westwood
He needed the run last time. We had to hold on to him, he took a blow and then stayed on strongly. We'd expect him to come on for that and, as a dour stayer, this race should suit. He's out of the weights but he should be able to be competitive. The ground is spot on for him.
Reporting by James Stevens

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