Cheltenham Festival 2015 latest: Foxrock considered for Gold Cup

Foxrock connections considering Gold Cup bid
Owner Barry Connell is still “actively considering” whether to supplement Foxrock for the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Ted Walsh trained seven-year-old has progressed out of handicaps and beat all bar Carlingford Lough in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown earlier this month.

It will cost O’Connell £27,500 to get the upwardly mobile gelding in the big race on Friday, March 12th.

“The Gold Cup option is still open. We don’t have to supplement him until the Saturday before, March 7th. We are still actively considering it and at this stage it is still a possibility,” said Connell.

Meade strong on Apache’s JLT prospects
Irish trainer Noel Meade thinks the JLT Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival could be made to measure for the apple of his eye Apache Stronghold.

The County Meath handler once held Gold Cup ambitions for the seven-year-old, but now believes the trip could be beyond him and the 2m 5f of the JLT may prove to be his optimum.

Apache Stronghold has won two of his four starts over fences and put in a battling display to beat the highly-regarded Valseur Lido in the Grade 1 Flogas Chase at Leopardstown earlier in the month.

That race has proved a key Festival trial, and Apache Stronghold is 5/1 with Coral for the JLT.

Meade said: “Apache Stronghold has always been a nice horse from early on last year. We thought that he might be the type of horse to stay three miles and be a Gold Cup horse, but maybe it’s just that 2m 5f which suits him better.”