Gold Present

Gold Present ran really well for a long way in the Grand Sefton Chase over the big spruce fences. He got into a lovely racing rhythm early on for Jerry McGrath and, a big strapping steelplechaser, he jumped the spruce fences really well. He travelled into his race well, he travelled best of all to the home turn, but he just tired on the run to the second last fence as the soft ground probably took its toll. It was his seasonal debut too, his first run since last April, so perhaps that was a factor too, because he got very tired on the run-in.

Stamina shouldn’t really have been an issue for Nicky Henderson’s horse, not over two miles and five furlongs, for a horse who won a Silver Cup at Ascot over three miles. He has just turned 10, but he has raced just 14 times over fences, and the handicapper dropped him by 2lb to a mark of 150. He will be of interest when he can get back on better ground, and the Topham Chase, back over the Grand National fences next April would be an interesting target for him.

Aintree, 7^th December 2019