Pitman advises silent approach as Gold Cup intrigue accelerates

JENNY Pitman finds it easy to empathise with both Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson as the Cheltenham Gold Cup build-ups of Kauto Star and Long Run are overshadowed by uncertainty.

Both Burrough Hill Lad and Garrison Savannah, the ‘First Lady of Racing’s’ two Gold Cup winners, had similarly uncertain preparations before landing steeplechasing’s most cherished prize.

Pitman does not put this year’s confused picture down to the advent of betting exchanges where punters can bet on horses to lose – she says rumour has always been one of racing’s heartbeats – but the media scrutiny that has intensified considerably since she retired from the sport in 1999.

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Her comments came after another intriguing day in which Nicholls signalled that Kauto Star, seeking a third Gold Cup, will have a racecourse gallop at Wincanton on Friday, further increasing the 12-year-old’s chances of making the Cheltenham line-up despite a heavy schooling fall on February 24 that left the white-faced horse very stiff.

Conversely, the exasperated connections of Long Run were forced to strenuously deny reports that the reigning champion had suffered a setback.

“The best thing for Kauto Star is for everyone to sod off and leave Paul Nicholls to get on with the job,” Pitman, 65, told the Yorkshire Post in an exclusive interview.

“It is a very stressful time for any trainer at this time of year and there’s only one thing that matters – their horses. But they can’t come first when the phone is ringing non-stop.

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“If it was me, I wouldn’t have said anything. You never know whether you will get a racehorse to an event like the Gold Cup until the day itself.

“Burrough Hill Lad had been off for two years – I suppose he wouldn’t have come to me if he hadn’t such dodgy wheels.

“I remember, before the 1984 Gold Cup, I arrived at Windsor and there were a huddle of media people waiting for me. I was on my guard. Then they came up to me and said Burrough Hill lad was breaking blood vessels.

“I was fed up with it all by then. I said ‘write what you like because he will win’. Thankfully he did or they would have crucified me. It is a very strange time – the worst two weeks of the racing year.”

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When Burrough Hill Lad prevailed in 1984 – Phil Tuck was in the saddle after John Francome, the then champion jockey, chose to ride Brown Chamberlain – Pitman became the first female trainer to land the Gold Cup.

It was a feat that she repeated seven years later with the equally fragile Garrison Savannah who, with the trainer’s son Mark in the saddle, just edged out The Fellow in one of the closest Gold Cup finishes of all time, with the iconic Desert Orchid a leg-weary third.

“The problem with ‘Garry’ is that he had injured his shoulder in the first week of December,” she recalled.

“He was confined to his box for six weeks. When he came out, we were starting from below zero. I just had a hunch.

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“The owners asked me when I’d know if their horse would run. I said they’d know if they saw him in the pre-parade ring. That’s how close it gets.”

The outspoken Pitman, who was also the first woman to train the Grand National winner when Corbiere prevailed in 1983, adopted a policy of minimal comment towards the latter stages of her career – lips sealed until a cigarette was introduced as a big race began.

“No, I don’t miss it,” added Pitman who believes Long Run will prevail this year and help his talented amateur rider Sam Waley-Cohen silence his critics.

The build-up to Cheltenham had begun yesterday with negative vibes about Gold Cup favourite Long Run.

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The defending champion drifted on the betting exchanges forcing Ladbrokes to suspend betting overnight, only for them to re-open their market with Long Run a 6-4 chance from even money.

However the jockey’s father Robert – who owns the horse – wrote on his Twitter account that he was baffled by the rumours. “Mystified by Long Run poorly rumours. Worked as normal today. All systems go,” he said.

Meanwhile, bemused Nicky Henderson said he saw nothing wrong with the seven-year-old when he undertook a routine piece of work.

And the likelihood of Long Run and Kauto Star continuing their rivalry intensified when Nicholls confirmed that the 2007 and 2009 champion will gallop at Wincanton.

“We upped Kauto Star’s work again today,” said Nicholls.

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“He had his now regular morning physio and an hour on the walker – we should bring out an exercise video, as that routine is getting so much publicity – and then we gave him his most testing workout since his schooling fall.

“We gave him two strong canters up the hill and I’m happy with him at the moment.”

The Somerset trainer initially said that D-day would be a strenuous workout alongside three-time Ladbrokes World Hurdle Big Buck’s on Saturday.

“Why the change of plan? Well, he had a racecourse gallop before he won the Betfair Chase and I thought it a better idea to give him a spin, and a good workout, on the grass away from home,” he explained.

“Ruby (Walsh) will ride and he will work with Mon Parrain.

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“Everyone can make their own minds up as to how he looks and works. And if he does come through that okay, we will look to school him on Monday morning.

“But I must stress that it is one step at a time and it is important that people don’t get carried away.

“We aren’t, just yet.”