Hennessy Gold Cup: Pride of Dulcote Out

It appears as though conditions on the ground have prompted Paul Nicholls to pull out heavy favourite Pride of Dulcote from this Saturday’s rescheduled Hennessy Gold Cup. The Grade 1 contest at Leopardstown had looked to have been nearly sown up by up-and-coming chaser who defeated the respected Punchestowns last time out.

The eight year-old son of Kadalko had been laid off for well over a year before returning to action in the chasing career that he had only just begun prior to complications in October of 2009.

Pride of Dulcote had been trading at a very short price and looks to be heading for the Betfair Ascot Chase.

The sudden departure has seen Joncol drop into the favourites’ position and he’ll be looking to defend this race, having won it over Cooldine last year. He’s gone winless in his two races since, but has been tackling high-quality company in Big Zeb and Pandorama. The Paul Nolan-trained gelding is boasting consistent figures in the 160 range and will be viewed as a justified favourite. Punters will find Joncol trading at a 7/4 figure that could very well tick lower on raceday.

Both Glencove Marina and Madison Du Berlais have reentered the field but David Pipe is already dampening expectations that MDB will actually line up. Pipe has reportedly told the Racing Post “we’re not planning on going, we’ll probably go to Haydock,” referring to the Grand National Trial unfolding next Saturday.

Cooldine , Money Trix and Kempes  are the only other contenders priced at single digits.