* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
Paddy will be keeping an especially keen eye on the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham on Friday – as it could leave him £50,000 out of pocket. That’s because our feeless leader has agreed to put up a juicy bonus if Langer Dan, the winner of the Paddy Power Imperial Cup -AKA the Millionaire Chase – can triumph at the festival.
And it’s now been confirmed that Imperial Cup champ, Langer Dan, is going for a double in the final race of the Festival. If he can pull it off he’ll pocket £50,000 for connections with £20,000 awarded to the winning owner, £10,000 to the winning trainer, £10,000 to the winning yard and £10,000 to the winning jockey – split in half if different jockeys ride at Sandown Park and Cheltenham.
The bonus has only ever been won three times after making the cut in Friday’s Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle with two to spare.
The participation of Dan Skelton’s five-year-old was in the balance until the 48-hour declaration stage, as despite picking up a 5lb penalty he still needed around 20 of those above him to come out. However, he gets into the race close to the foot of the handicap and will be 5lb ‘well in’, having been raised 10lb since his Sandown win.
Skelton is very happy with the horse’s condition and is looking forward to the challenge, which has been made successfully only by runners from the Pipe stable, with Olympian (1993), Blowing Wind (1998) and Gaspara (2007).
He said: “He’s been absolutely fine, with no problems at all. He’s fresh and well and I suppose we are taking on the time between the races as much as anything, and you can’t be sure until you run them. I wouldn’t be running him though if I wasn’t happy, and the possibility of goodish ground by Friday is no problem at all.”
Lorcan Williams, who is attached to the stable of Skelton’s former mentor Paul Nicholls, has been booked for the ride.
* All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
READ MORE
- Gold Cup Tips And Runners For Cheltenham Festival 2021’s Big Race
- Cheltenham tips: Ruby Walsh’s Cheat Sheet for all 4 days of the Festival
- Cheltenham tips: Our Championship races cheat sheet for the Festival
The Paddy Power Guide To Responsible Gambling – Everything You Need To Know
