Richard Johnson, rider of Native River, general 7/2 joint-favourite for the Racing’s Blue Riband event, the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, believes the gelding has an outstanding chance of claiming glory in the Grade One showpiece at the Cheltenham Festival, which begins next week.
Native River’s trainer Colin Tizzard originally had the top three in the betting for the Gold Cup, but following the news that Thistlecrack would miss the Festival, the Dorset handler now relies on the aforementioned Native River and Cue Card in the extended three-miles and two furlongs event.
Britain’s Champion Jump jockey Johnson, who rode Looks Like Trouble to victory in the 2000 edition of the Gold Cup for father-in-law Noel Chance is confident that Tizzard’s charge can etch his name into Cheltenham folklore and join a pantheon of greats including Arkle, Best Mate, Kauto Star and Denman to have won the Grade One race.
Johnson has struck up a superb rapport with the seven-year-old son of Indian River, riding the gelding to three victories from four rides. The rider initially rode the gelding to Grade One success in the Betfred Mildmay Novices’ Chase in April 2016 and the duo have formed a potent combination again this season, with Johnson partnering the gelding to a tenacious half-length success in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November 2016 before the Brocade Racing-owned gelding was an authoritative length and three-quarter victor in the Welsh Grand National under top weight at Chepstow.
Johnson was taken ill at Newbury when the Irish-bred gelding was a facile three and a quarter length winner of the Grade Two Betfair Denman Chase with Aidan Coleman coming in for the ride. However, Johnson will be back aboard at Prestbury Park next week and is looking forward to renewing acquaintances.
Philip Hobbs’ stable jockey leads the standings in this year’s champion jockey title race and also looks likely to take the ride on JCB Triumph Hurdle favourite Defi Du Seuil.
The rider, talking about Native River said:
A lot of people had him down as just a stayer, but he’s got class and he’s not a one-dimensional horse who can only win by breaking everyone else’s hearts. He does stay, and he can make the running, but he doesn’t have to lead.
I’ve learned through riding him that he enjoys the company of other horses, so you can ride the race to suit him and not necessarily give everything else a lead.
Aidan and I talked before the race and it all fell into place. After hard races in the Hennessy and the Welsh National, which he came through really well, it was much his easiest race of the season and so the ideal prep for Cheltenham.
Reflecting on the importance of the Gold Cup, Johnson continued:
For me the Gold Cup is the most important race of the season. There are lots of other good races, but when you talk about chasing’s legends it’s the great Gold Cup winners like Arkle and Kauto Star who first come to mind. I’ve been lucky to win the race once already and I think I’ve got a very strong chance of doing it again. I wouldn’t swap him and I’m very excited.
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