It's a very interesting Gold Cup with a lot of good horses but I have been a Dorans Pride fan all along and I'm going to stick with him. He has been third for the past two years, but this year I think he has

had the best preparation. Certainly he looks better each way value than Florida Pearl is win value.

Florida Pearl is clearly a super horse and having Dunwoody on top will definitely be a help, I just feel, however, that a lack of experience may catch him out. He has had just five races over fences which in normal circumstances would not be enough.

However he has come through the Tom Costello academy and will have done a lot of schooling which will help. Willie has also given him a super preparation, but the speed they jump at in championship races may find him out. I'll stick with Dorans Pride and just hope the Gold Cup is won by an Irish horse. If I have a banker today it is Deanos Beano in the Stayers Hurdle. Martin Pipe always has to be respected around here and this horse strikes me as a particularly tough customer. I think Aidan O'Brien's Le Coudray has fantastic class, but I'm not quite sure a five-year-old will be able to get home in a true run race over three miles.

I also have a sneaking suspicion for Pipe's horse Ballysicyos in the Triumph Hurdle, although this is a race you can never be confident about. Dr Leunt is a more confident choice in the Cathcart. In the Grand Annual, I like Dines. I see his trainer Paul Nicholls has left Lake Kariba in at the top of the weights and that should suit Dines who jumps well and now looks to be nicely weighted.