Starchitect cut for BetVictor glory after returning to winning ways

Starchitect spent last spring mixing it in the very best handicap company and emerged with a fair amount of credit. His reward for dropping back in grade for Stratford's feature 2m3½f handicap chase was a first success since January, but his return to the everyday is unlikely to last long.

Among the 45 entries received on Wednesday for the BetVictor Gold Cup at Cheltenham on November 18, Starchitect is the sole candidate to carry the hopes of the Pipe yard, which is so strongly associated with the race by virtue of Martin's eight wins and David's with Great Endeavour six years ago.

Attack is often the best form of defence on Cheltenham's Old course, where Starchitect has yet to run over fences, and he showed himself adept at that when getting the better of Mercian Prince after the two slipped the field a long way out.