Racing Cheltenham preview: Fondmort, the subject of a wholesale ante-post gamble earlier in the week, can deliver the goods in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham today.As big as 6 to 1 on Monday, Nicky Henderson's charge is now clear favourite at around 7 to 2 after punters plunged on last season's Tripleprint Gold Cup winner.
That six-length victory over Foly Pleasant last December represents Fondmort's finest hour to date. He has always run well at Cheltenham and performed with credit when runner-up to both Young Spartacus and Poliantas at the Prestbury Park track on his final two starts in the spring.
Both those re-oppose today but the revised weights give Fondmort every chance of turning the tables. The seven-year-old has obviously been giving the right signals in preparation for this £110,000-added chase.
Brother Joe misses the highly-competitive contest in favour of the Peter Bromley Novices' Chase over the same course and distance. The nine-year-old has proved a real money-spinner for owner Sir Robert Ogden and trainer Philip Hobbs already this season, with seven victories to his name.
With only three rivals taking him on, Brother Joe's winning run can continue.
Web Perceptions has yet to be beaten in three starts since switching to the winter game and Mark Harris's three-year-old will be hard to beat in the Tom Albert Mines Memorial Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.
After scoring at Huntingdon and Chepstow, the colt battled to a neck victory over After Eight here with the third horse, Barneys Lyric, 18 lengths away.
Montayral can make a triumphant return to Cheltenham for the Open Trophy Handicap Chase. The six-year-old was bought out of Paul Nicholls' yard for a six-figure sum and is now with Pat Hughes.
On his previous run here in April 2002, Montayral seemed certain to score, only to fall at the second-last. He started to repay the outlay when successful in the Cork Grand National earlier this month. A 5lb penalty for that win puts him nicely in the weights on 10st 1lb and he could be well handicapped.
Paul Nicholls was left puzzling over the enigma that is Cenkos after the 7 to 1 chance had surprised everyone to score on his first run since May at Cheltenham yesterday.
Overweight and expected to need the outing, Cenkos was one of three horses Nicholls had planned to run in the two-mile Beards Jewellers Cup. But fears that the ground would be unsuitably fast led the trainer to pull out Le Roi Miguel from the race, enabling first-choice jockey Ruby Walsh to get on board the winner.
However, despite having his squad reduced to two, the Nicholls team still totally dominated the contest with Cenkos getting the better of a good scrap with stablemate Kadarann to win by a length and a quarter - the pair 20 lengths clear of disappointing favourite Latalomne.
Wahiba Sands, brought down by the fall of Tysou at the second-last fence, was remounted by Tony McCoy to finish fourth.
"It is rather surprising because he is 10 kilos heavier than when he won the Tingle Creek last year and we were pretty sure that he would need it," said a surprised Nicholls.
