Walford carrying Cup hopes (From Gazette & Herald)

Walford carrying Cup hopes

Robert Walford is carrying the Ryedale flag into battle in the Cheltenham Gold Cup when he teams up with Kingscliff on Friday, and his father believes his son can add his name to the exclusive roll of honour attached to jump racing's most prestigious steeplechase, which carries £400,000 in prize money.

Sheriff Hutton trainer Tim Walford said: "I think he can win it. In my opinion, Kingscliff is the best horse in the race, and he loves Cheltenham, where has won twice.

"That counts for a lot, especially as the favourite Beef Or Salmon doesn't seem to like the place at all."

Walford snr, and his wife Gill, are making a special visit to the Cheltenham Festival in order to give Dorset-based Robert plenty of vocal support.

"If he looks like winning, you'll probably hear me back in Sheriff Hutton!" joked Tim, who helped saddle Kingscliff at Haydock in November before the Robert Alner-trained gelding provided Walford jnr with the biggest success of his career in the £150,000 Betfair Chase.

"The horse hasn't won since, so I think I shall ask whether I can help saddle him again before the Gold Cup," said Tim, showing his superstitious nature.

Since Haydock, Kingscliff has not exactly covered himself in glory. He blundered his way out the race for the King George V1 Chase at Sandown on Boxing Day, when the injured Walford was replaced by Tony Dobbin.

And on his latest start, with Robert back on board, the gelding finished second to the lightly-weighted Ebony Light in the Peter Marsh Chase, back at Haydock, but was under pressure most of the way and produced a moody-looking display.

"He hated the heavy ground the last time he ran, but Cheltenham will suit him a lot better if it's good ground, or something either side of that," says Walford, whose only reservation about Kingscliff, a 9-1 shot, producing his best form comes in the shape of the number of runners.

"He does like his own way a bit, so a big field might be against him," he warns.

That said, Tim Walford is eagerly looking forward to seeing his son in action in this great test of horse and rider.

"We're supposed to be coming back home on Friday night, but if Robert wins, I don't know when we'll be back!" says Tim.

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Malcolm Jefferson has a choice of Cheltenham engagements for Roman Ark, but is swaying towards Thursday's Racing Post Plate, best known as the Mildmay Of Flete Chase.

Jefferson, who also has the option of the Arkle Trophy earlier in the week, and the Grand Annual Chase, reports his gelding is in excellent order.

"He's really well, just as he was when he went to Haydock last month," said the Norton trainer, recalling how Roman Ark, through no fault of his own, was brought down that day by a fallen rival.

"Luckily, he was unscathed and although what happened was frustrating, that's racing," he added.

Jefferson is hoping for some give in the ground for Roman Ark, but ironically, his other intended Cheltenham runner, Portavadie, prefers a quicker surface.

"Either way, one of my runners should get the ground he likes," said Jefferson, who is keeping his fingers crossed that Portavadie, who is well down the weights in the Grand Annual Chase on Friday, manages to fall within the 24-runner safety limit and ensure himself a place in the line up.

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Robert Winston, who will be bidding for championship honours again this season, has re-charged his batteries in time for the start of the Flat turf campaign by spending a week on holiday in Spain.

The York-based rider, who returned last Sunday night from his well-earned break after a busy winter riding on the all-weather tracks, said; "It was nice to get a week away. I'm ready to go now, and I'm really looking forward to the new season."

Winston enjoyed fluctuating fortunes last year, getting off to a great start when winning the Lincoln Handicap on Sir Michael Stoute's Stream Of Gold, posting his first Royal Ascot success on Masta Plasta at York in June and being narrowly ahead in the jockeys' championship when disaster struck in early August, a nasty fall at Ayr leaving him with a shattered jaw, which kept him out of action for the remainder of the campaign.

Winston is again hoping to make a flying start new week, not least aboard Kings Majesty, the Stoute-trained ante-post favourite in the Lincoln Handicap on Saturday.

"It's great to get the ride on him and he should run a big race," said the top local jockey.

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Looking even further ahead into the Flat season and Sergeant Cecil, who created racing history last year when winning three of the calendar's major staying handicaps, is on course to bid for his first major objective in 2006 at York.

The gelding is no stranger to the Knavesmire, having won last year's Tote Ebor Handicap at the August Festival. That victory was sandwiched between further notable successes in the Northumberland Plate at Newcastle and the Tote Cesarewitch.

Trainer Rod Millman said: "The plan is to get him back on a racecourse at Nottingham in April and then send him back up to York the following month for the Yorkshire Cup.

"He's in good health at the moment, and although it's going to be tougher for him this year, having to go for conditions events and Pattern races, I think he'll be able to pay his way again."

Sergeant Cecil, who was adjudged Horse of the Year following his outstanding exploits in 2005, is now a seven-year-old, but Millman jokes: "Because he's a July-foal, his owner feels that he's really only six-and-a-half!"

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And finally, Cumbrian rider Wilson Renwick is proving a big hit with Ryedale trainers.

Renwick was seen to good effect at Carlisle last Thursday when winning the beginners' chase on Brian Ellison's Great As Gold and, on Sunday at Market Rasen, he registered a 40-1 triumph on the Mick Easterby-trained Commanche Sioux.

In between those two victories, Renwick also rode four winners at Ayr's two-day meeting, making it six successes in four days.

Not bad going considering he had ridden only eight winners this season up until his latest purple patch.

Updated: 16:12 Wednesday, March 15, 2006