If ever a weekend is in danger of being overlooked on the racing front, it is that which falls immediately before the mighty Cheltenham Festival. With the delights of the Champion Hurdle, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, and the Cheltenham Gold Cup hurtling into view, the usually exciting Saturday fare can seem a little humdrum in comparison. However, a cracking handicap is a cracking handicap wherever it falls in the calendar, and Saturday afternoon sees Sandown Park host one of its most competitive events of the season.
First run in 1907 and held over a fast and furious two miles of the hurdles course, the Imperial Cup awards £100,000 in total prize money. That’s an enticing prize in its own right, but an additional carrot awaits. If any horse wins the Imperial Cup and goes on to land any event at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, they will receive an additional £100,000 bonus. A tough task, but one which connections of the leading handicap hurdlers are only too happy to attempt.
With the final field confirmed, 17 remain in contention for the 2025 edition of this historic contest, including a horse who has been there and got the Imperial Cup T-shirt.
Punters Go for Dante in Significant Gamble
High Point was the last Imperial Cup champ to successfully defend his crown when claiming the 1952 and 1953 editions. Seventy-two years is a long time to wait for a repeat winner, but the betting suggests that many punters expect the wait to end in 2025.
Defending champ Go Dante is hard to fancy on recent form, with four outings following wind surgery producing three 16+ length defeats and a pulled-up effort. However, if there is a positive to emerge from that sequence, it is that his handicap mark has now fallen to 127 – two pounds lower than when getting up in the shadow of the post to win the 2024 edition by a nose. At 25/1 earlier in the week, Go Dante is now available at a best price of around 13/2. That market confidence suggests a big run is expected from a horse hailing from the bang-in-form Olly Murphy operation.
Bo Selected as Market Leader
Despite the Go Dante gamble, the champ hasn’t quite made his way to the head of the market. That honour belongs to the Nicky Henderson-trained six-year-old Bo Zenith. Surprisingly, considering his overall record with two-mile hurdlers, Henderson has claimed this prize only once. If Bo Zenith can return to anything like his best, he may hold every chance of doubling that tally.
Formerly based at the yard of Gary Moore, Bo Zenith bagged back-to-back Novice events at Haydock and Stratford before going down by just a short head in the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle at the Aintree Grand National Meeting. Unfortunately, injury stalled the gelding’s progress, resulting in a 610-day absence from the track and a switch to Seven Barrows in October 2024.
Following such a lengthy time away, Bo Zenith was always likely to need a couple of runs to find top stride. However, there has been enough promise in his two recent starts for Henderson to suggest he may be up to winning off his current mark of 137.
Best of the Rest: Sum to Add to Sam’s Success
Go Dante and Bo Zenith are just two of an intriguing Imperial Cup cast. If the prize is to head elsewhere, the market suggests one of the following trio is most likely to prevail.
Lump Sum
Sam Thomas endured a quiet 2023/24 season but is well on his way towards making up for that in 2024/25. Operating at a 33% strike rate over the past two weeks, he grabbed a big Saturday success with Katate Dori in the Ladbrokes Trophy and may follow up with this fellow Dai Walters-owned runner. Top weight makes life tough, but that may not put punters off a horse who finished second in the Grade 1 Fighting Fifth Hurdle in November.
Batman Girac
Even Willie Mullins can’t resist a shot at the Imperial Cup bonus, and it would be unwise to underestimate this five-year-old who holds a County Hurdle entry. Whilst some way down the star-studded Closutton pecking order, Batman Girac looked set to go close in a Listed event at Leopardstown in February, only to fall at the last. If staying on his feet this time, he could be in the mix in the double green of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.
Spirits Bay
Successful with Flying Angel (2016) and Mr Antolini (2018), Nigel Twiston-Davies boasts a solid recent record in this event. Flying the flag for the Naunton handler this time around is this seven-year-old who was last sighted finishing third behind Constitution Hill in the International Hurdle. Having finished ahead of 146 and 132-rated rivals that day, a mark of 125 gives him the look of a well-handicapped horse.
With runners from the yards of Paul Nicholls, Dan Skelton, Fergal O’Brien, and Jonjo and A J O’Neill, also in the mix, the 2025 edition of the Imperial Cup looks well up to scratch. Who will come out on top? This race is scheduled for 2:25 on Saturday afternoon.