Gold Cup duo to resume rivalry at Aintree

Both equine greats are intended runners in the Totesport Bowl, the day one highlight of the Grand National meeting.

However, connections of both horses would prefer ground conditions to ease, although with rain forecast on Merseyside this week, there is every prospect of Long Run, the youngest Gold Cup winner in nearly 50 years, taking on Denman, the old warrior.

Denman last appeared at Aintree two years ago when he suffered a crashing fall at the penultimate fence which briefly threatened his career.

But, with the liver chestnut, trained by Paul Nicholls, best suited to left-hand tracks, there are few options for the crowd-pleasing twice Hennessy winner.

“He has come out of the Gold Cup really well and the plan is to go to Aintree,” said Nicholls who intends to send Cheltenham third Kauto Star to the Punchestown Festival in early May for the Guinness Gold Cup.

“Denman is fresh and well and has only had two runs this season but we would like to see some rain before Aintree. He has good form on good ground but he’s 11 now and he’s not as quick as he was on it. I’m sure he’ll run well at Aintree.”

That view was reiterated by Long Run’s owner Robert Waley-Cohen who said the Aintree race is the only option for his six-year-old ahead of a summer break at his Gloucestershire stud farm.

“He’ll either go straight back to our stud or go to Aintree first on the way,” said Waley-Cohen.

“He’s in good form and I want the ground to be 100 per cent for him if he is going to run at Aintree.

“We don’t want him to have too many races on fast ground.

“The Gold Cup was an epic race and obviously we got the right result and we are excited about what’s coming along, too.”

In other news ahead of Aintree, Voy Por Ustedes is on course to bid for a third success in the John Smith’s Melling Chase on Friday, April 8 .

The 10-year-old, owned by Yorkshire businessman Sir Robert Ogden, made a pleasing reappearance in his first run for 11 months, and his first since joining the Nicky Henderson stable, when fifth to Albertas Run in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham.

All roads now lead back to Aintree for the two-and-a-half-mile feature which he won in 2008 and 2009. The line-up will include Ferdy Murphy’s stable star Kalahari King who chased home Albertas Run and Henrietta Knight’s Champion Chase fifth Somersby.

“He’s come out of his race very well and the plan is to go to Aintree,” said Ogden’s racing manager Barry Simpson.