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Paul Nicholls’ Ginny’s Destiny remains in line to contest the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday after he remained among the seventeen entries at Monday’s five-day stage.
The Paul Nicholls-trained Cheltenham regular completed a hat-trick over fences at Prestbury Park before finding only Dan Skelton's classy Grey Dawning too strong in the Turners Novices' Chase at the Festival. He went on to finish runner-up to multiple Grade 1 winner Il Etait Temps in the Close Brothers Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree a month later and is a fairly warm order ahead of his intended return at Cheltenham this weekend.
However, Nicholls does have some concerns over the current dry ground and is relying on watering to make the course 'safe'.
"It's a concern for everybody. As long as the ground is safe. I think (clerk of the course) Jon (Pullin) is going to put a bit of water on and he's got the opportunity to do so, and that course isn't going to be used again until the spring, which obviously helps," Nicholls said on Betfair.
Nicholls, who won the prize twelve months ago with the talented Stage Star, will also look to saddle Il Ridoto.
He added: "As long as the ground is slow enough to be safe, then we'll be going on Saturday. He's (Ginny's Destiny) in great shape and we're going to run Il Ridoto as well, which Freddie Gingell will ride, so two nice chances."
Among the challengers to the Nicholls-trained duo will be Jamie Snowdon's 2022 winner Ga Law, while Imagine, who used to be trained by Gordon Elliott, looks in line to make his stable debut for the Harry Derham team after being purchased for €320,000 in February.
Janidil is the sole entry for champion trainer Willie Mullins, with further Irish interest heightened by the entries of Henry De Bromhead's Lets Go Champ and the Gavin Cromwell-trained Hartur D'arc.
Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield said: "Paul Nicholls made no secret of the fact that he thought Ginny's Destiny was the perfect candidate for the race three weeks' ago and an incredible 125-1 five-timer on Saturday has not exactly put punters off the Turners runner-up.
He was an 8-1 chance for this prestigious contest when we first priced it and is now 3-1, but Imagine is currently the biggest loser in our book."