Festival hero Meetmebythesea in rude health for Paddy Power
Connections hope this will be his last handicap before going up in class.
Ben Pauling has promised ante-post favourite Meetmebythesea will “turn up at Cheltenham with bells on” for Saturday’s Paddy Power Gold Cup.
Winner of the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase at the Festival in March, the JP McManus-owned six-year-old is one of 19 horses to stand their ground at the confirmation stage for the November meeting’s £160,000 feature.
Meetmebythesea has not run since his Festival success, but Pauling does not expect a lack of fitness to be an issue.
“He’s in great order, he’s fit, he’s well and everything has gone to plan. He will turn up at Cheltenham with bells on and it will be very interesting to see how he gets on,” he said.
“You would hope it might be the last time you see him in a handicap but if it doesn’t go to plan we might end up running in another one. But he’s definitely a graded horse and he’s got plenty going for him.
“He’s a lovely, relaxed individual that does everything you ask at home but no more. He’s not flash but has a great attitude and a great mind.
“The way he jumped and travelled in the Jack Richards would give you confidence he would handle a Paddy Power and I think he could come through it pretty nicely hopefully.”
Panic Attack provided Dan Skelton with his first Paddy Power Gold Cup success 12 months ago and the champion trainer has a couple of major contenders for this year’s renewal in Madara and Blueking d’Oroux. He could also saddle outsider Riskintheground.
Skelton’s former boss and mentor Paul Nicholls has four victories in the race on his CV and he will be hoping to add to his tally with Quebecois, while local trainer Martin Keighley is represented by recent course winner O’Moore Park.
There has not been an Irish-trained winner of the race since Edward O’Grady’s Tranquil Sea in 2009, but the raiding party have a three interesting players on Saturday in Henry de Bromhead’s pair of July Flower and Zurich and Release The Beat, who hails from Paul Nolan’s in-form yard.
The weights are headed by Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies-trained Matata, while other hopefuls include Jonjo and AJ O’Neill’s Johnnywho, a Festival winner who went on to finish fourth in the Grand National and Jamie Snowden’s Torneo.
Paddy Power representative Paul Binfield said: “Meetmebythesea has an obvious profile for the Paddy Power Gold Cup, being a second-season chaser with winning form at Cheltenham. He has been solid at the head of the betting since we opened our market on the 2026 Paddy Power Gold Cup.
“The Jack Richards winner will be out to hand champion owner JP McManus a first success in the first major race of the Jumps season and one of the very few to have eluded his famous green and gold silks so far.”
Nicky Henderson’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner has an entry in the Paddy Power Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase.
Skelton’s Kabral Du Mathan and Alan King’s Baron Noir are also among the 12 entries.