Exeter
2.10pm – Haldon Gold Cup
God’s Own
He may be getting on as an 11yo but he certainly has the pedigree for this race, winning it in 2014 and again last year, with a third in 2015 for good measure. He goes well off a break too, and the stable have hit form with a vengeance in recent days. He rounded off last season with an excellent third to Altior at Sandown, and he is nicely weighted off a mark of 158. He has actually had a much better preparation than when winning this race last year – I rode him last week and I couldn’t have been happier with him – so hopefully he will run his race and be very competitive. It’s a tough ask against younger horses with scope for improvement, but this is a horse you underestimate at your peril around here. If the ground isn’t too bad, then he will give them all something to think about, and I don’t think it will be. It will be beautiful ground at Exeter and I reckon it will ride good to soft, so I don’t see that as being any problem. In fact, I don’t see any negatives in his chances.
