Oliver Sherwood hoping rain continues to pour for Many Clouds

Many Clouds will school over fences tomorrow as he gears up for a crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 13.

Unbeaten in three starts this season and as short as 7-1 for the blue riband, Oliver Sherwoods eight-year-old gelding was an impressive winner of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in November.

He proved that to be no fluke when beating the likes of Smad Place, Dynaste and The Giant Bolster in the BetBright Cup Chase, formerly known as the Argento, at Cheltenham in January.

Sherwood is hoping the ground remains on the easy side of good for his date with destiny.

Sherwood said: He did his first piece of semi-serious work (on Tuesday morning) and I plan to pop him over a few fences on Thursday.

His latest success at Cheltenham was impressive and I just hope the forecast remains bad in the next couple of weeks.

Yesterday Puffin Billy restored some much-needed confidence with a measured success at Leicester but Sherwood has ruled out a potential tilt at the JLT Novices Chase at Cheltenham next month.

The lightly-raced seven-year-old has endured a somewhat stop-start season and disappointed when he was pulled up in the Welsh Champion Hurdle at Ffos Las last month.

However, connections found him a real opening reverting to fences at the Midlands track and he was back to something like the form which saw him win at Ascot in November.

The 4-9 favourite was made to work hard by Tinker Time in the three-runner Rutland Water Novices Chase but was three lengths to the good at the line in the hands of Leighton Aspell.

Here is the original post:
Oliver Sherwood hoping rain continues to pour for Many Clouds