McCOY TO RIDE DENMAN

The great AP McCoy will ride Denman (pictured here) in both the AON Chase at Newbury on Saturday 13th February and in the Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 19th. Denman’s owner Paul Barber, who has had a fall out or two with McCoy in years gone by, agrees with trainer Paul Nicholls that such a top class horse will benefit from having the best jockey on board.

In his excellent weekly coulumn in the Racing Post, Nicholls says:  ”I asked Ruby Walsh whether he wanted to ride Kauto or Denman at Cheltenham and said to think about it for 48 hours. He came back to me late on Thursday night, and once I knew his decision I acted on the basis of what he told me and we have sorted the whole thing out. Ruby said he would obviously have liked to have ridden Denman in the Aon, but he understood the situation and said he couldn’t get off Kauto, the horse on whom he’s won two Gold Cups, four King Georges and a host of other Grade 1s. He also appreciated it would be a huge  advantage for AP [McCoy] to ride Denman in a race before the Gold Cup.”

Wow! What a decision. What a battle it wil be at Cheltenham. Any true value in the betting market for the Gold Cup vanished weeks ago, but the booking of McCoy is sure to see the odds on Denman tumble. Not long to go now until stablemates Kauto Star and Denman come up against each other in the big race of the season. Betting Tips Direct.com will be at th eCheltenham Festival resporting back to members.