Cheltenham Gold Cup: Ball not on the Gold Cup Hunt

Hunt Ball will not run in the Gold Cup

Hunt Ball is set to have his sights lowered after being officially scratched from the Gold Cup at Cheltenham next month...

The Keiran Burke-trained eight-year-old ran a fine race in defeat at Cheltenham last weekend, when third to Cape Tribulation and Imperial Commander in the Argento Chase, a Gold Cup trial.

Second to Menorah in the Peterborough Chase prior to that at Kempton over Christmas, the career of the Anthony Knott-owned gelding has been a rags-to-riches tale.

After winning a novice handicap chase at Folkestone off a mark of 69 in November 2011, his rise continued last year culminating in victory in the Pulteney Land Investments Novices' Handicap Chase at the Festival in March.

His colourful owner has landed some huge touches along the way and the Byrne Plate now looks likely to be Hunt Ball's target.

Knott said: "There's no point in kidding ourselves. We want to place him in a race we can win out there and the race for that is the Byrne Plate."

Knott ruled out the possibility of supplementing Hunt Ball for the Ryanair Chase.

He said: "Keiran wants to go there, but there's 13,500 now to stump up for that (at the supplementary stage) and at the end of the day I've done my money (on Hunt Ball in the Gold Cup) and I haven't had a run yet so we are going to come down a little in class."

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