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December Gold Cup Tips: Medermit the Pick for Cheltenham Betting Feature

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls will be looking for a third successive win in this Spinal Research The Atlantic 4 Gold Cup also known more obviously as the December Gold Cup over 2m5f at Cheltenham on Saturday. He might just have the horse to do it for him too with Ghizao having been the subject of a number of high profile tips to win the valuable race this weekend.

The seven year old has been installed as one of three joint favourites to win the race with odds of 6/1 from Ladbrokes and certainly, if basing their tips on his official rating then he would appear to be running off a decent enough mark for the race. He was last seen finishing in fourth place, well behind winner Medermit, who opposes again in this, in the Grade 2 Haldon Gold Cup Chase at Exeter at the beginning of November. Nicholls however has said he needed the run that day and will improve; after all, the stable believe he is a Grade One level horse and was second in the Grade 1 Maghull’s Novices Chase at Aintree in April.

Also in receipt of plenty of tips this week is the Nicky Henderson entry, Quantitativeeasing, who is also 6/1 to win the race. Last seen finishing second, a good seven lengths behind Great Endeavour in the Grade 3 Paddy Power Gold Cup over course and distance last month, the 6 year old is much better off at the weights this time, which must help his chances. On the downside, champion jockey Tony McCoy has turned down the ride on Quantitativeeasing, preferring to ride the Jonjo O’Neill trained Sunnyhillboy instead.

As a direct result of the McCoy race preference, Sunnyhillboy was immediately cut in the market and has become the third horse quoted with odds of 6/1 from Ladbrokes. McCoy’s decision also means that he will have to do 10st 4lbs for the race, something he does very rarely, but has done with great success in the past. Barry Geraghty has now been booked to ride Quantativeeasing.

Tips a plenty have been published for the Alan King trained, Medermit, another entry who has been campaigned at Grade 1 level. This 7 year old was runner up in the 2009 Supreme Novices Hurdle and has won a Grade 1 Novices Chase as well as the Grade 2 Haldon Cup at Exeter on 1st November, where, as mentioned above he had Ghizao well beaten. The King stable is in fine form and saddled the winner of the big betting Becher Chase last weekend. One of the tips offered to punters when looking for likely winners of big handicap races is for them to note the classier horses particularly if they are on a decent enough mark to win. Medermit definately fits that category and can be backed currently at 10/1 with ladbrokes.

Great Endeavour is also in the field this weekend, he is one of four David Pipe trained entries in the race and comes back to Cheltenham after a creditable fourth place in the Hennessy Gold Cup a fortnight ago. This will be the 7 year old’s third big handicap race in four weeks, which although does not appear to concern Pipe it is very hard to hand out tips on a horse who may be taking on one race too many too quickly. Nonetheless he is being backed and is currently a 7/1 shot with the Magic Sign.

Another who has attracted a few tips to win the race is the Ferdy Murphy entry, Divers who will be racing off a very decent weight given his third place performance behind Great Endeavour and Quantativeeasing in the ‘Paddy Power’. The 8/1 shot is certainly capable of reversing that form and comes to the race with plenty of stable confidence behind him.

This is very clearly a huge betting race which has attracted a star studded field with many having genuine chances. Each way tips are therefore plentiful, but one we particularly like the look of, for each way punters, is I’msingingtheblues, also from Pipe’s Pond Hill stable, who ran with great credit when 4th behind Sizing Europe in the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase just a week ago at Sandown Park. He will enjoy the better ground at Cheltenham where he won in decent handicap company over two miles on his seasonal reappearance earlier in November and with tempting odds of 14/1 from Ladbrokes he is certainly worth supporting.

December Gold Cup Tips

Winner Selection: Medermit

Each Way Selection: I’msingingtheblues

December Gold Cup Odds

6/1 Ghizao
6/1 Quantativeeasing
6/1 Sunnyhillboy
7/1 Great Endeavour
7/1 Divers
12/1 Roudoudou
14/1 I’msingingtheblues
16/1 Salut Flo
20/1 Tatenen
25/1 Woolcombe Folly
25/1 Roberto Goldback
25/1 Matuhi
33/1 Calgary Bay
33/1 Finger Onthe Pulse
40/1 BAR

The odds for this race have been provided by Ladbrokes.com who will be operating their usual first class online service throughout the two day Cheltenham International Meeting.

Posted: Friday, 9th December 2011
Author: Rodney Wise
Tags: cheltenham, international meeting, december gold cup, paddypower,

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