Go Dante Aiming For Record Third Imperial Cup Success

Go Dante will bid for a piece of history at Sandown on Saturday by ending up being the very first three-time winner of the Betfair Imperial Cup.


Olly Murphy's veteran has actually declared narrow victories in the last 2 editions of the prominent handicap, which is the conventional highlight the Saturday before the Cheltenham Festival gets under way.


Betfair are offering a ₤ 100,000 bonus offer to the connections of the winner need to the very same horse go on to win any race at Cheltenham next week, however Go Dante does not hold any Festival engagements, with Murphy concentrating on Saturday's reward for a horse who is three from three at Sandown but has actually disappointed on his last number of trips at Windsor and Newbury.


"He's a few pounds higher than last year, but he enjoys the track and ideally with a bit of luck in running he'll run well once again," said the Warren Chase handler.


"In his last number of runs they have actually gone extremely, extremely fast early on flat tracks and it hasn't matched him, so ideally returning to a stiffer track will suit.


"It would be nice to win for a 3rd time. We understand he likes the place and we're eagerly anticipating running him."


Go Dante in winning action at Sandown (John Walton/PA)


Murphy will have a 2nd string to his bow in the kind of Fingle Bridge, who went back to the smaller sized challenges to finish second at Warwick last month following three runs over fences.


Murphy included: "He's going to run too. He did too much at Warwick the last day, so we're hanging back in trip on a stiff track.


"He's definitely excellent horse with a huge engine and ideally a run in a handicap the last day will have honed him up again. He ought to go there with a possibility."


Fingle Bridge is the joint premier horse alongside the Dan in a 30-strong list of entries.


Other competitors consist of Ben Clarke's high-class mare Ooh Betty, the JP McManus-owned Khrisma from Nicky Henderson's lawn, Chris Gordon's General Briar and Mondo Man, trained by the father-and-son collaboration of Gary and Josh Moore.


Olly Murphy could also run two in the ₤ 80,000 European Breeders' Fund Betfair "National Hunt" Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final, with the prolific Scorpio Rising set to be joined by stablemate Gee Force Flyer.


Scorpio Rising appears his greatest hope having actually won his last 3 races, with Masked Man (Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies), Gentleman Toboot (David Pipe) and Kaka's Cousin (Jonjo and AJ O'Neill) others in the mix for a fiercely-competitive heat.


Murphy stated: "Scorpio Rising looks progressive and I believe the track and trip and whatever will match him well.


"He remains in truly excellent kind, came out of Windsor well and ideally he's enhancing.


"We 'd welcome a bit more rain for Gee Force Flyer but the stiff track will suit him well, he's feasibly handicapped and this race has actually been the prepare for a long time with him."