The Giant Bolster will win Paddy Power Gold Cup if he stays up

Many trainers will be hoping that Poquelin is not withdrawn from the Paddy Power Gold Cup line up and the inclusion of the Paul Nicholls runner would certainly be a big benefit to The Giant Bolster’s chances of victory.

Poquelin has currently been allocated the top weight of 11st 12lb for the Cheltenham race, with the rest of the runners weighted accordingly behind him based on the decision of the official handicapper.

However, if Poquelin is withdrawn before Saturday, all of the horses will be forced into carrying 6lb more weight, with Wishfull Thinking climbing to be the new 11st 12lb top weight.

The Giant Bolster seems to have snuck in on the light side at present at 10st 2lb and 14/1 looks fine each-way value for a horse that has a lot going for him.

He is a previous Cheltenham winner having triumphed at the Cheltenham Festival Trials Day in January, which shows he can cope with the demands of the fences of the course, while a recent run over hurdles at Chepstow would have helped to clear any rustiness from the summer.

The only slight doubt over The Giant Bolster is that he is relatively prone to jumping errors and has failed to complete three of his last four races over the larger obstacles.

This could be a bigger problem given that he is dropping back in trip to 2m4f and the faster pace will only put greater pressure on his suspect jumping.

David Bridgwater is not concerned about The Giant Bolster’s jumping and believes that the horse has a fabulous chance all things considered.

The trainer said: “The Paddy Power Gold Cup is definitely the plan and has been for the last eight or nine months and I’m not going to divert now.

“He is a very lightly-raced horse and Chepstow will have helped with his fitness, experience and confidence.

“The horse is flying at home and if he gets a clear round and jumps fluently, he’ll win. In reality it’s a difficult old race, but if he travels well and has a bit of luck in running and is upsides at the last, he’d have better than a good chance.”