Meetmebythesea wins Paddy Power Gold Cup to give JP McManus a first victory in the race

Meetmebythesea gave JP McManus his first Paddy Power Gold Cup winner on Saturday, beating Blueking D'Oroux by two and a half lengths at Cheltenham. The 2-1 favourite, trained by Ben Pauling, was making his first start since winning as a novice at the Festival in March.

Harry Cobden, the 2023-24 champion jump jockey, rode the winner. He became McManus's retained rider in Britain and Ireland in May, and this was his biggest success in the role. Sky Sports noted it was his second big win in two days in the McManus colours.

Cobden told ITV Sport: 'These big days don't come along very often and I'm going to enjoy every single one of them from now on.'

A reduced field at Cheltenham

The field was cut to 10 by five non-runners, among them the well-fancied July Flower, according to BBC Sport. The Guardian reports that several races on the card lost runners because of drying ground, with the going officially good, good-to-firm at the start of the first race.

The Guardian put the crowd at more than 32,000. Blueking D'Oroux, having his first run for champion trainer Dan Skelton, looked the main danger after long-time leader Quebecois faded. BBC Sport reported that Torneo, a 12-1 chance, finished almost three lengths further back in third.

What comes next

Meetmebythesea could step up to Grade One company in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day. The Guardian reports that bookmakers quote him at around 12-1, and Sky Sports says BetVictor cut him from 25-1.

Pauling won the King George last year with The Jukebox Man and sees similar quality in his latest winner. He said: 'I suppose we have to think about Kempton at Christmas and I think he's going to stay every yard of three miles.'

Asked whether the horse could become a Gold Cup contender at Cheltenham's March Festival, Pauling stopped short of a firm view. 'I don't know what I see him as,' he said, according to BBC Sport. 'He needed to do that today.'

Nicholls closes in on a record

There was also history for Paul Nicholls. Fasol's win in a handicap hurdle at Windsor took him level with Martin Pipe's all-time record of 3,930 British jumps winners, The Guardian reports. Nicholls has one runner on Sunday's Cheltenham card, Pourquoi Pas Papa in the 1.25, as he tries to take sole possession of the record.

Is Meetmebythesea ready for the King George at Kempton, or should Pauling target something else?