Top Ville Ben tests Gold Cup credentials with Cheltenham outing

The Phil Kirby-trained eight-year-old attempts to follow up his runaway success in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby on Boxing Day, with Tommy Dowson taking the ride, meaning he misses out on partnering the yard’s star mare Lady Buttons at Town Moor, Doncaster.

Catterick-based Kirby said: “I was in two minds whether to run him earlier in the week, but our horses are running well at the moment and we decided we’d strike while the iron is hot.

“On ratings he’s entitled to be there and we should have a better idea of where we’re going afterwards.

“If he’s competitive that’ll be great and if he’s not, we’ll have to have a rethink.

“I had to make a decision where Tommy was going to go and we just felt in the end it would be better for him to ride Top Ville.”

Nico de Boinville expects Santini to raise his game for the recognised blue riband trial.

Nicky Henderson’s charge was considered a serious Gold Cup contender at the start of the season, having rounded off his novice campaign over fences with a narrow defeat to the currently sidelined Topofthegame in the RSA Chase at the Festival in March.

However, Santini’s Cheltenham odds actually drifted after he made a successful, but unimpressive, reappearance in the Future Stars Intermediate chase at Sandown – scrambling home by a head from the much lower rated Now McGinty.

The eight-year-old will need to step up on that if he is to beat a much stronger field on his return to Prestbury Park, but his big-race jockey is confident he will.

“It’s all systems go for Saturday and I’m looking forward to it,’’ said De Boinville. “He’s in great order. You’d like to see him improve for that run at Sandown, but that was just the start of the year and he’s bound to have come on for it.’’

Maire Banrigh moved closer to an appearance at the Cheltenham Festival when maintaining her unbeaten record over fences in the Mares’ Chase at Huntingdon.