Denman

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At the start of last season Denman had still only suffered one defeat in his whole career when beaten two and half lengths into second by the very talented Nicanor in the 2006 Royal and Sun Alliance Novices Hurdle.

However his next run saw his second defeat. This was over three miles at Kempton when Denman was beaten by Madsion du Berlais by 23 lengths. Many were unimpressed with this performance and worried whether we would ever see Denman back at his best.

Concerns proved to be somewhat unfounded as Denman did line up in the 2009 Gold Cup and put up a sterling performance to finish thirteen lengths second to stablemate Kauto Star

One Of The Best?

Denmans winning collection is now well into double figures and includes a Sun Alliance Chase, two Hennessy Gold Cups, a Lexus Chase in Ireland and, of course, the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Superlatives are regularly applied to Gold Cup winners but the style of Denmans power packed display at the Festival that year warrants all the plaudits and more. He put in a round of jumping that simply was far too good for his opponents and one that might well have been too good for most of the champions of yesteryear.

Comparisons with former champions are difficult to justify but the style of his victory in the 2008 Gold Cup and that of his imperious weight carrying displays at Newbury marks Denman down as a steeplechaser of the very highest order.

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Back To Form With A Bang

Many people doubted if Denman would ever fully come back to his best even given his great display in the 2009 Gold Cup but the doubters had to eat their words when Denman destroyed perhaps the best field assembled in recent years for a Hennessy Gold Cup.

Denman became only the third horse to recapture the Hennessy Gold Cup and did so off a mark of 174, thirteen pounds higher than his victory in 2007. That said, it was the authoritative manner of his victory that was the most impressive factor, bringing back memories of his famous Gold Cup win with a spectacular round of jumping.

Can Denman Lift The Gold Cup Again?

Denmans odds for the Gold Cup have understandably fluctuated throughout this year, most notably since the news that he is to be ridden by Tony McCoy in the big race and his subsequent fall in the Aon Chase at Newbury.

Do you think Denman can bounce back again and win a second Gold Cup?

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