owner bags 50-1 double while Paul Nicholls warms up nicely for Festival
HARRY COBDEN was as cold as Iceo in the Betfair Imperial Cup.
The top jockey bided his time and launched his challenge at just the right moment before bagging Sandown's big race.
It was a great result for punters, who sent Iceo off a well-backed 5-1 shot, and a timely boost for team Ditcheat on the eve of Cheltenham.
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls will certainly be hoping his horse's impressive three and three quarter-length win is a sign of things to come.
He has a strong team lined up for the week ahead, including Hermes Allen, Tahmuras and Bravemansgame.
And Nicholls will be desperate to get back in the winners' enclosure at the Festival for the first time since 2020 when Politologue won the Champion Chase.
He said: “I’m thrilled with Iceo, we were praying for a bit of rain for him because he loves soft ground.
“This has been the target for him for a while and it is always great when the plan works out.
“We have a lovely team of horses going to Cheltenham and it’s a good feeling to win a big race at this meeting before the Festival.
“The horses are in good form, if I were to put a tenner on one of them it would probably be Hermes Allen but we have some lovely chances throughout the week.”
But it's unlikely Iceo will form part of his Festival squad.
The five-year-old galloped powerfully through the mud before mowing down long-time leader Knickerbockerglory after the last.
It was a pretty gruelling race, though, so Nicholls will probably give Friday’s County Hurdle a miss.
He added: “Harry said he had a tough enough race there. I would say it’s not likely he’ll go to Cheltenham.
“He has won a nice race there and what he does over hurdles is a bonus, he is a lovely chaser for next year.”
Iceo's win formed part of a whopping 50-1 double for owner Chris Giles, who earlier bagged the EBF Final with 15-2 shot Crambo.
He grinned: "It gives me some betting funds for the week!"
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