After the four-time Grade 1 winner outperformed his competitors in the bet365 Oaksey Chase, Rich Ricci is excited to see Gaelic Warrior take on the King George VI Chase at Kempton. Gaelic Warrior, who had won the 3m1f Aintree Bowl 23 days prior, led home stablemate Appreciate It under Paul Townend, taking the drop in travel in stride. Ricci remarked, “He’s a funny old fella,” “I’d have loved to have had a crack at the Gold Cup at Punchestown next week, but we’re big supporters of Willie Mullins and decided to come here to help him in his pursuit of the title.” He appears to be a King George horse, but I’m not positive if he’s a Cheltenham Gold Cup horse. Willie thinks the world of him over any trip and, to me, he’s a stayer on anything other than soft or heavy ground, so I imagine the King George will be the target.
“When he shows up he’s absolutely brilliant and hopefully he has an uneventful summer and autumn and goes into next season firing on all cylinders.” Nicholls hits Blueking D’Oroux defeated Salver and Kitzbuhel in the Grade 2 bet365 Select Hurdle, continuing the trend that Paul Nicholls rarely ends the season without a victory. The 14-time champion trainer, who is more accustomed to competing for the title on the last day, is eager to return to the championship mix the next season. “Hopefully next season we’ve got some really smart young horses coming through and we’re going to have a little bit of a thin out as well,” Nicholls added. “Everyone experiences highs and lows, but the spring has been good and we’ve still had a good season.”
He went on to say, “I thought he’d go well today because he loves good ground,” with Blueking D’Oroux. Before he chases, this was the ideal race. Instead of being a hurdler, he will be a superior chaser. He will be an enjoyable horse because he jumps well and stays well. You would be pleased if he ended up like Pic D’Orhy because he is his mirror image. Moore finishes strong After making hay in the first two races, Gary Moore cursed the jumps season’s conclusion. With his son Josh on the training license, the first season has been difficult, but the stable ended the season strong with a 251-1 double from Give It To Me Oj and Mark of Gold.
“We’ve made no secret of the fact we’ve had a moderate season and it’s a shame it’s going to end now,” Moore, the elder. “Earlier in the season, it was one of those things. We most likely had a couple terrible horses as well, and the horses weren’t in good form or scoping clean.” Mark of Gold and Give It To Me Oj both carried a lot of weight to win, and the former might have a flat summer campaign. “I was worried that he wasn’t very well handicapped after Liverpool and now he’s won two races in a week,” the jockey stated. He has always been a kind horse, and today he has gone above and above. A four-year-old carrying twelve stones is a very good performance.
“He may return to the Flat, where he is severely disabled, but I would like to give him a respite right now. The next time he jumps, he will stay on hurdles. Where he goes will depend on his handicap. Moore made the following statement on Mark of Gold, who was partnered by Caoilin Quinn, similar to Give It To Me Oj: “He’s an amazing horse owned by an amazing bunch of people.” He and Caoilin are a perfect match because they get along so well. When Caoilin challenges him, the horse attacks.
