Expect Denman to go off shorter than 4/1 for the Hennessy
Published:The will he/won’t he saga continues to rumble but the betting market suggests the confidence is behind Denman to win the Hennessy Gold Cup.
Carrying 18lb’s more than Neptune Collonges and 26lb’s more than 14 of the 19 entrants, Denman must defy the handicapper if he is to create history and win his third Hennessy Gold Cup.
A win for the Paul Nicholls star would take him past Arkle’s record of two Hennessy Gold Cup wins and would see him ranked as one of the greatest horses to ever feature in National Hunt racing.
It would also mean that should Kauto Star win his fifth King George on Boxing Day at Kempton, he is 5/4 in the ante-post market to do so, the 2011 Cheltenham Gold Cup could go down as the battle to define the greatest horse of this current era.
Current ante-post prices for the Cheltenham Gold Cup see Kauto Star priced at 4/1 and Denman at 12/1, but should Denman win on Saturday, that 12/1 will shorten dramatically.
If you believe that Denman will emerge victorious in the Hennessy Gold Cup on Saturday, it’s worth taking the 12/1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup now.
But against a strong Hennessy field that contains a number of top quality juvenile novice chasers, Denman will have his work cut out to trouble the historians.
Denman has defied top weight twice to win the Hennessy but has seen the Handicapper rise him 8lb’s since that run despite failing to win any of the three races he’s been involved in.
His second place in last year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup is the reason for the hike in his official rating and a repeat of that performance should see him past the finishing post first.
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