135nu

totesport Gold Cup at Cheltenham in a little over two weeks.

Midnight Chase
Grossick Racing Photography

The Neil Mulholland-trained nine-year-old is one of 82 entries remaining in the world’s most famous chase after the first scratchings deadline, details of which are revealed today.

Midnight Chase carries the colours of Lady Clarke who, along with her late husband Sir Stan Clarke, won the John Smith’s Grand National with Lord Gyllene in 1997. The gelding has won six of his last seven starts, the most recent three victories coming at Cheltenham, and was last seen landing a Listed handicap chase over an extended three miles and a furlong at the Prestbury Park course on December 10.

Mulholland revealed today: “Midnight Chase is going for the Cheltenham Gold Cup first and we’ll see after that what will be on the agenda for him. No decisions will be made until we see how he is after Cheltenham.

“He’s a horse that is improving and if he improves just that little bit more he is a lively contender, but until we run him in the Gold Cup, we don’t know. If he does run a big race at Cheltenham we could decide to keep him for next year’s Grand National - we’ll have to see.

“He has got 11st 8lb at Aintree. That is high but we’re not worrying about that at the minute. He’s a Cheltenham specialist and the Gold Cup is the focus - his only other entry is in the Grand National, so other than that he has no fixed agenda and we’ll see what happens at The Festival.

“I’m absolutely delighted with his progress since his last run - I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Only the great Golden Miller has won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and John Smith’s Grand National in the same year (1934). The most recent Gold Cup hero to come close was the Jenny Pitman-trained Garrison Savannah, who triumphed in the Cheltenham showpiece in 1991 and was just touched off by Seagram in the Aintree spectacular a couple of weeks later.

After winning the King Fontaine, Or Noir de Somoza, Ornais, Quinz, Quolibet, Saddlers Storm, Skippers Brig, Nedzers Return, Tatenen, 66 Always Waining, Ambobo, Grand Slam Hero, Le Beau Bai, Pomme Tiepy, Roll Along, Royal Rosa, Sagalyrique, Scotsirish, Snowy Morning, The Sawyer, The Sliotar, Toby Jug, Treacle, 100 Askthemaster, Dev, Dream Alliance, Duers, Faasel, Piraya, Putney Bridge, Santas Son, Starzaan, That’s Rhythm, 150 Regal Heights. Each-way 1-2-3-4