Connections pleased by Commander gallop
Imperial Commander delighted connections in a racecourse gallop at Warwick as part of his preparation for his defence of the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The 10-year-old worked two miles with two other horses trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies in his first serious work ahead of next month’s big race.
“We galloped him over two miles this morning. It went really well and he galloped with two of our young ones,” the Naunton handler told At The Races.
“That’s his first really serious racecourse gallop. He will then go to Kempton on Racing Post Chase day and have another gallop there.
“That will put him absolutely brilliant, we hope, for the Gold Cup.
“All we have to do is to get him to the races in the same form as last year and then it will take a very good one to beat him.
“He seems in very good form and is back after having that little setback before Christmas which healed.
“He had a long time off last year from the King George to the Gold Cup and got there in one piece. It went really well and I’m sure we can do it again. He’s a very straight forward horse.
“This is just one gallop, one more to come and I think he’ll be fine.”
Twiston-Davies switched the gallop to Warwick after plans to work Imperial Commander at Newbury on Sunday had to be scrapped following the tragic events there on Saturday.
The horse has not raced since making a successful reappearance in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November. He was to have run in the King George VI Chase at Kempton but a setback ruled him out of the Christmas feature.
Imperial Commander is ante-post favourite at around 7-2 to retain his crown at Prestbury Park on March 18.
