Kauto Star and Long Run head a total of 34 horses entered for the 2012 Cheltenham Gold Cup.(credit:
CharlesFred)
Long Run and Kauto Star head a total of 34 horses entered for the 2012 Gold Cup at this year's Cheltenham Festival.
The two market leaders look set to renew rivalries in the Festival’s feature race and after Kauto Star came out on top in the Betfair Chase at Haydock and the William Hill King George VI Chase at Kempton, Long Run’s followers will be hoping he can bounce back to form at Prestbury Park.
Kauto Star is the only horse to have ever regained the Gold Cup crown and he will be in search of his third victory in the race for trainer Paul Nicholls.
Nicholls has also entered Poquelin, The Minack, Tidal Bay and What A Friend for the Grade One highlight, while Nicky Henderson has entered Finian's Rainbow and Burton Port with Long Run.
Ante post punters will be interested to see that Grand Crus has been entered for the contest, while Quito De La Roque, Jessies Dream, Magnaminity, Quel Esprit and Bostons Angel head a number of Irish raiders being aimed at the world famous meeting.
Looking towards the race, Long Run's jockey Sam Waley-Cohen is calm ahead of his bid to defend the horse's Gold Cup crown. He explained: "So far Long Run has produced two terrific runs at Haydock and Kempton. He has been rated 182 and ran to about 181. People said we had made too much use of him at Haydock and not enough at Kempton and so you tend to say 'Come on chaps - what's that about.'
"The thing is you can't analyse absolutely every race. You can over-analyse so it's best to make your plan and do your very best to execute it on the day.
"We go to Cheltenham full of hope because in this game you are a fool if you don't and I think everybody accepts the hill will work in his favour."