Lord it up with a winner at Cheltenham on Festival Trials Day

The noble Lord Oaksey, possibly the nicest man in racing, could be set for a memorable afternoon at Cheltenham as the strapping Carruthers lines up in the Gold Cup trial now known as the Argento Chase at 2.35pm.

Once a mainstay of Channel 4 Racing Lord Oaksey has been a tireless campaigner for the Injured Jockeys’ Fund for a number of years, and there’s no doubting who’ll get the biggest cheer of the day if seven year old Kayf Tara gelding Carruthers can stick his big head in front up the Cheltenham hill.

The absence of Denman (he goes for the Aon Chase at Newbury in a couple of weeks) will have disappointed the racecourse executive, but as long as the weather doesn’t strangle another keenly anticipated fixture (Clerk Simon Claisse tells me it’s forecast to be minus five tonight) they’ll be packing the stands at Prestbury Park for a meeting the crowds love.

You can’t get a hotel room for love nor money in Cheltenham tomorrow night, although depressingly my old pal Lord Culcheth will be in attendance and has already secured a duplex penthouse for the night in the town centre.

Expect the usual cougar hunting antics to be on display as he preys on any unsuspecting boozed up potential victims.

Back to the Argento though and the chances of headline selection Carruthers. He really appeals given that tissue favourite Madison Du Berlais has never been seen to the best of his sizeable ability here at Cheltenham.

Flatter tracks like Aintree, Newbury and Kempton seem to bring out the best in him, and you have to go way back to the 2006 Grand Annual to find a time when he really performed with distinction at Cheltenham, when a three length third to Greenhope in the Grand Annual.

Clearly he’s improved enormously since then, but I couldn’t be backing him here with a lack of positive evidence regarding how he handles the track. His stable may be on fire (six wins in the last two days for the David Pipe team), but he’s readily passed over.

Don’t forget Madison ran a tame eighth of sixteen in this race two years ago.

Ratings fans will prove to the 11lb gap in the figures (Madison 166 – 155 Carruthers), but our selection is an improving youngster with an exhilirating, bold front-running style who can serve it up to the favourite tomorrow.

He ran a good race here when fourth of fifteen in the RSA last March, only losing his momentum when trying to demolish the third last with a catastrophic blunder.

A tame effort on his seasonal reappearance at Wincanton was put firmly in the shade when he bolted up at Newbury in the Mandarin Graduation Chase at Christmas time – he won by a street on testing ground beating Paul Nicholls’ Big Fella Thanks that day, and he can take this en-route to a tilt at the Kauto and Denman in the Gold Cup.

Nicholls fields two of the seven runners with novice Inchidaly Rock and the returning Taranis.

It’s really fantastic to see a horse of the calibre of Taranis come back from a very serious injury. Off the track for 766 days they’ve had to be really patient with this talented horse, and still only nine he’ll hopefully be gracing a winners’ enclosure sometime soon, although surely it’s too big an ask for him to take this particular prize.

Course and distance winner Inchidaly Rock is the stable’s main hope with Ruby on board, but he’ll need to be very good to take this and make it a hat-trick for the season as he steps out of novice company.

Perhaps he will be able to bridge the gap, but I much prefer Carruthers to make it a special day for much loved owner/breeder Lord Oaksey, trainer Mark Bradstock and jockey Mattie Batchelor.

Back him at a standout 5/2 with William Hill.

Saturday’s Cheltenham tip:

2.35 – Argento Chase – 3 Carruthers (win) @ 5/2 (William Hill)