Ruby Walsh admitted today he is “not overly confident” he has made the right decision by opting to ride Kauto Star instead of Denman in this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Irishman is sticking with Kauto Star for the third successive Festival as the two Paul Nicholls stablemates contest their eagerly-awaited ‘decider’ after a victory apiece in the last two years.
Walsh’s decision means A P McCoy will ride Denman in both the Gold Cup and his warm-up race, the AON Chase at Newbury on Saturday.
Speaking exclusively on Betfred Talk, Nicholls’ stable jockey revealed he is disappointed not to be continuing his association with the horse he partnered to a stirring Hennessy Gold Cup victory when Denman was last seen in action at Newbury in November.
“I’ve had to make a decision and after winning two Gold Cups and four King George VI Chases on Kauto it’s very hard to desert him,” said Walsh, who was beaten 13 lengths by Denman when he partnered Kauto Star in the 2008 Gold Cup.
“That said, it’s only my choice and I’ve got it wrong in the past so I wouldn’t be overly confident I’ve got it right this time either. They are two exceptional horses and there’s only a good jump between them.”
Walsh was pushed by Denman’s owners into making a decision about his Gold Cup mount earlier than he would have wanted to.
He revealed he would have liked more racecourse evidence at his disposal before confirming his choice, with Nacarat, who was fourth to Kauto Star in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, due to give a pointer to the reliability of that form when he contests the Racing Post Chase at Kempton on February 27.
“There’s still five and a half weeks to the Gold Cup and a long way to go,” said Walsh. “I still have to get there myself so I don’t tend to get too worked up about these things this far in advance.
“I’d love to have ridden Denman in the AON Chase and then watched Nacarat run in the Racing Post Chase to get all the form and everything in front of me before I made a decision.”
In another exclusive interview on Betfred Talk, McCoy enthused about the chance he has been given to play a leading role in one of the most keenly anticipated races for years.
“It’s great to be riding Denman,” said the 14-time champion. “He looks like the one horse that can put it up to Kauto Star. Hopefully he will win on Saturday and then we can look forward to the big match in the Gold Cup.
“Denman’s win in the Hennessy was one of the best handicap performances for a long time and he’s definitely the one big danger to Kauto Star at Cheltenham.”
Interviews with Walsh and McCoy are exclusive in betting shops to Betfred during February and they can be heard discussing their mounts from 11.30am.
