WYMOTT, 8-1 co-favourite for Saturday’s Hennessy Gold Cup, has been reported in fine fettle by trainer Donald McCain, although his trainer was quick to reference two factors which could count against him at Newbury.

Wymott shares favouritism with Aiteen Thirtythree and Great Endeavour, both of whom have had a recent outing, a potential benefit McCain envies despite Wymott’s impressive record when fresh.

“I would always prefer to have got a run into a horse before a racelike this – that’s just the way I was brought up – but I’m happy that he’s over his injury. In fact, he seems as well as I’ve ever had him,” McCain said of the seven-year-old, who was pulled up in the RSA Chase on his last start.

“He came back from Cheltenham with a small fracture to the top of his cannonbone – he was lame after that race.”

Another possible negative is that the ground could dry out. Wymott has run on good ground only twice, at Cheltenham and when winning a bumper at Bangor.

McCain said: “I’d be more than happy to run him on good ground, although good ground at Newbury does bother me a little bit. That said he’d seem to have a very competitive chance, so we’llgo even if the ground is good.”

The ground was on Sunday good, good to soft in places, and Newbury clerk of the course Richard Osgood said: “I would not envisage the going changing much from what it is now.

“It’s good, good to soft in places. The weather today is mild. The coldest time is forecast to be Wednesday morning, when we might have some grass frost, but temperatures will be nothing to worry about.

   

“There is a front coming in, due to arrive Tuesday, perhaps in the night, that may bring a few millimetres of rain, not too much. Then it is due to become milder. I wouldn’t envisage the going changing much from what it is now.”

Wymott’s stablemate Weird Al, along with the Paul Webber-trained Time For Rupert, will both miss the race after the two were vanquished in Saturday’s Betfair Chase.

Weird Al, who was beaten ten lengths into third, will not run again until next year, while Time For Rupert, 25 lengths behind Kauto Star in fifth, heads to Newbury in December as he continues on the path to the Betfred Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

“Weird Al ran with great credit behind the two best horses in the business,” McCain said. “We’ll give hima nice break and in the spring decide whether we go back to Cheltenham or straight to Aintree. I’d imagine he’d have a run somewhere before, whichever meeting he runs at.”

On Time For Rupert, Webber added: “It was a wonderful performance from the front two and we were put in our place. He stayed on quite nicely and wants three miles two round Cheltenham. He’s not as good as Saturday’s rivals at this stage but will hopefully get closer in future. He goes now for a graduation chase at Newbury on December 14.”

Diamond Harry, who split Weird Al and Time For Rupert in fourth at Haydock, also has a date in his diary next month according to trainer Nick Williams, who said: “As long as he recovers from his run here in time, we will go for the King George.”

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