L’Homme Presse pencilled in to start off at Ascot

Connections of leading Gold Cup contender would like to see some before 1965 Chase.

Exciting chaser L’Homme Presse is expected to make his highly-anticipated start to the season in the 1965 Chase at Ascot, co-owner Andy Edwards has confirmed.

The seven-year-old won five consecutive chases for Venetia Williams last season, culminating in an impressive victory over Ahoy Senor in the Grade One Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.

Though that rival beat him on his final run in the Mildmay at Aintree, the pair are expected to clash again in the Gold Cup in March.

Connections of L’Homme Presse have been mulling over ideas as they plot a path towards the Gold Cup – for which he is a general 12-1 shot – and should the forecast rain arrive over the next couple of weeks, he will line up in the two-mile-five-furlong Grade Two contest won last year by Lostintranslation.

Edwards, who owns the son of Diamond Boy in partnership with Peter Pink under the DFA Racing banner, says he is looking forward to getting started with L’Homme Presse.

“He is fine and has summered well,” said Edwards. “Venetia is very happy with him and he has done a couple of pieces of really nice work.

“He is, however, ground dependent and we would like to see the rain arrive, but he is being aimed at the Grade Two 1965 Ascot Chase on November 19.

“That is what we are looking at running in. I’ve stopped looking at the weather forecast, to be honest, but we’d hope the ground will be on the softer side for him.”

Edwards was an interested bystander when Ahoy Senor was well held by Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby last weekend.

He was impressed by the Paul Nicholls-trained winner and added: “I am really pleased for Bravemansgame.

“Everyone wants to see good horses progressing and it all ended in a bit of a mess for him last year, so it was good to see him run so well. It was a good performance.”

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