Long Run stat only boosts Noble Prince’s hopes of Paddy Power win
Published:Noble Prince’s price of 10/1 in the Paddy Power Gold Cup odds is almost sure to shorten in the coming days after trainer Paul Nolan gave his biggest hint yet that the horse will line up at Cheltenham.
Nolan is still to fully decide whether to run last season’s Cheltenham Festival winner in the Paddy Power Gold Cup or instead send him to Ireland for the higher graded Fortria Chase at Navan.
However, with Noble Prince looking set to keep his initial weight of 11st 2lb and the slightly longer 2m4f trip at Cheltenham being more to his liking, the Paddy Power looks the leading choice.
It could certainly be argued that Noble Prince has got in at a relatively light weight for the Paddy Power Gold Cup, given his impressive last campaign as a first-season chaser.
The highlight was his victory over the highly regarded Wishfull Thinking in the Jewson Novices’ Chase at the Festival, which was run over the same course and distance as the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
Meanwhile, he already has a run under his belt this season to shake off any cobwebs from a race-less summer, when hardly needing to break out of third gear to win a Grade Three contest at Navan last month.
Seven-year-olds also have a better winning record than any other age group in the Paddy Power Gold Cup in the last decade, which is another boost to Noble Prince’s chances, while the horse will not be short of speed having placed in a Group Two race on the Flat in his younger days.
Mon Parrain is the current favourite in the Cheltenham odds at 4/1, but this price does look a tad short.
Only one five-year-old since 1960 has won the Paddy Power Gold Cup and even the great Long Run failed to triumph at this age last year before going on to win the King George and Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Potentially, it is only because he is from the yard of Paul Nicholls that he is this price.
