The tank to destroy them all

By Alan Conway

Whisper it softly. The tank is returning. The horse, who galloped Kauto Star into the ground in the 2008 Gold Cup and has produced two seismic weight carrying performances in the last two Hennessy Gold Cups, is back. This Saturday is D Day. Denman’s Day.

Denman has the chance to boldly go where no horse has gone before. He has the chance to land his third consecutive Hennessy. Even the incomparable Arkle failed to land three Hennessy’s. For Denman history beckons. A chance to put his massive hoof print on the annals of our sport. Every horse racing fan regardless of allegiance should wish for a Denman victory as history rarely develops before our eyes.

Will we once again see a ruthless display of power and brilliance from the big horse? Can he return to the heights that he once scaled? I am yearning to see the horse who ran every horse into the ground back again. The remorseless galloper that revives images of Mill House in his prime. If the tank is firing on Saturday the others better watch out.

But to land his third Hennessy Denman has to answer some questions. Is he the same horse that broke Kauto Star in that 2008 Gold Cup? Some would argue that he isn’t. They would point to his heart issues that he suffered the summer after the Gold Cup and the fact that he has only won one race since that Gold Cup.

Another question that the sceptics ask is can he beat such a high quality field this Saturday? Looking through the card Weird Al is currently second favourite. No disrespect to Weird Al and his connections but even a below par Denman should have the measure of Weird Al. No, the real dangers for Denman are his stable mates.

When Denman and Kauto Star were winning the Gold Cup there was one horse each year that was chasing them home. He was Neptune Collonges. The John Hayles-owned grey has been off the track since the Gold Cup of 2009. He was a serious horse back then. He landed a pair of Punchestown Gold Cups and an Irish Hennessy into the bargain. His current price of 14/1 could be serious value come Saturday afternoon.

The same applies to Taranis. He landed the Argento Chase at Cheltenham last January after a long lay off. He is a former Ryanair Chase winner and could be one to keep on side.

But for me the race is about one horse and one objective. If Denman wins it will be a heart-warming moment and we need all those moments we can get. Denman reminds us that beneath everything all a horse wants to do is run. Denman runs and runs. He gives you all he has until he is out on his feet. There may have been flashier horses loaded with charisma. But Denman just turns up and will not quit. This spirit brought him back from the brink and it’s this spirit that will hopefully allow him once again to become De-man on Saturday.

By Alan Conway