Christian Williams set to be triple-handed in bet365 Gold Cup

Christian Williams believes that there would be no horse more deserving of victory in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown Park on Saturday than the consistent Kitty’s Light, who is bidding to go one place better than 12 months ago.

The six-year-old was a luckless runner-up when hampered in this race last year and he has continued to run some fine races in defeat so far this campaign, finishing second on no less than four occasions.

The two most recent runner-up berths have come behind stablemates Cap Du Nord in the Eider Chase and Win My Wings in the Scottish Grand National. All three are set to represent Williams in Saturday’s famous handicap chase (3m4f166y) and while the trainer wouldn’t be drawn on rankings between the three, he felt it would be nice if Kitty’s Light could join his stablemates by winning a nice pot this term.

Speaking at his base at Bridgend, South Wales at a media event organised by The Jockey Club, Williams said: “I think Ayr may have suited the mare (Win My Wings) better than him (Kitty’s Light). The Scottish National might have been Kitty's Light's cup final as we thought it might cut up a bit, coming before the Grand National this year. We thought it was a good target.

“We aimed Kitty’s Light for the Scottish National so we don’t worry about things like last year too much. If we had a chip on our shoulder and had a big issue about it, we would have laid him out for this race.

“I just a bit sorry for Kitty because a Christian Williams horse has stopped him in his two starts this year – Cap Du Nord at Kempton and Win My Wings at Ayr – but I think he’s won over £80,000 in those alone so he’s won good money for his owners (Richard Bedford & All Star Sports Racing).

“I think everybody would think that he’d very much deserve a success, not just us at Christian Williams racing. There would be plenty of cheers at Sandown if he was to win, he’s just so consistent. He’s a mile horse really being by Nathaniel, it’s not his fault he was bought by a staying chase trainer!”

Win My Wings will carry top weight in the Grade Three contest after being put up a stone in the weights by the handicapper for her hugely impressive victory at Ayr three weeks ago.

And like her two stablemates, the nine year old has to contend with a fairly quick turnaround here, but her trainer feels she is more than entitled to take her chance.

Williams explained: “The plan for Win My Wings was the Eider Chase – and Kitty’s Light was the Scottish National – but she was in such good form that we felt we should take our chance with her in that too. Nobody could have imagined they’d do that and I thought I was seeing things! You could pick her out as the winner at Ayr with a circuit to go.

“She’s gone up 14lbs and I think it’s sporting of the owners (Sue Howell) to run her, she’s only a small mare so to carry 11st 12lbs at Sandown is a big ask, so all credit must go to the owners to carry on.

“A stone is a lot of weight so it will be tough, but she’s in great form. She went away on the Thursday (for the Scottish Grand National) and she looked better on the Tuesday coming home after travelling 10 hours and running four miles. Rob James will be on Win My Wings again as she’d be up 21lbs otherwise, while Jack (Tudor) always rides Kitty’s Light.”

Win My Wings has enjoyed a remarkable last 12 months since being moulded into a staying chaser by Williams, building on victories at Exeter in January and in the Eider Chase in February when completing the hat-trick at Ayr. And Williams explained that a combination of patience and his training style has been key to her rise through the ranks.

He said: “Win My Wings’ owners have been great, it’s taken them four years for her to do what she did. We could have run her in a staying chase last year but she probably wasn’t ready for them. The first time we stepped her up was at Cheltenham last year and then she proved that day what we thought she could do.

“She was a bit disappointing then in two Listed races but it’s hard to get her right in the heart of the winter and then she’ll just start to come right. She was still a bit behind in her coat going to Newcastle but she put in a good performance and she finished distressed and didn’t come back into the winners’ enclosure.

“She came back from the trip very light and then two or three days after she started to come into her stride again. That’s the only thing then, the bet365 would have given her an extra three weeks to get over Newcastle but Nicky (Williams, brother) knows her very well and leading into the Scottish National Nicky said that we need to run her.

“I think she just comes right at this time of year and Kitty’s Light is similar. You can’t not run them through the winter, Kitty’s Light went to Kempton three times this year and we had some wonderful days there watching him run in the royal box in big races. You’re getting beaten but he’s a racehorse and he’s bought to run so we like to run them.”

Cap Du Nord also has previous in this race, finishing a fine fifth 12 months ago. And while he struggled to build on his fine victory in the Grade Three Coral Trophy at Kempton in February when pulled-up at Aintree last time out, Williams feels it would be folly to rule him out here.

He said: “Cap Du Nord wasn't beaten far in the race last year and maybe he was disappointing when being pulled up at Aintree, but he did the same at Kelso last year before running well in the bet365. He got a terrible run round at Aintree, where it never happened for him.

“Ellis Collier will probably ride him, the owner (The Can’t Say No Partnership) likes to give young people a chance and we’d like to have him next year in the big races. The only way to give him experience is to give him rides.

“It would be a great end to the season but it won’t spoil it if we don’t win. The only worry is that there might have been the odd horse or two who might have been pencilled in for this – I don’t know whether Paul Nicholls has shown his hand with Enrilo but we’ll find out on Saturday. I’m sure he’ll be going there thinking he can beat us and we’ll be driving to Sandown thinking the same.”

Williams has a unique process when it comes to training racehorses and makes the most of his stunning location in South Wales to keep his horses sweet, regularly sending them out for gallops on the beach and swims in the sea.

The 39 year old certainly seems to have found a niche in terms of cracking the code with staying chasers. And while he feels it would be wrong to typecast him, he is hopeful that his string can keep improving in terms of quality year-on-year.

He explained: “The phones have been ringing since Ayr and we can’t do more than what we’re doing, so it’s been great. We set out every year to try and win the ITV races going into the season and pick out which horses can win them.

“We try and win pots where the good prize money is and then you just hope that the owners re-invest it. Win My Wings’ owners have won some nice prize money and they’re going to buy another horse next year, so we’re always thinking.

“I think we’re having a nicer type of horse every year and we’ll go into next year with nicer horses. When you walk around the yard you see them every morning and you can see month to month that the quality is going up. We’re spending £40,000 on horses now whereas last year we were spending £15,000 and hopefully we can start spending 60 and 70 thousand down the line.

“We’re always on the lookout for horses every day and for a new place as well. We’ll find something. I have plenty of confidence in what I do and I have good staff, so moving is not something I’m worried about.

“Plenty people march around and say they want to be champion trainer, but I think you need to be realistic. We enjoy winning the big races and we’d like better horses and probably to find better horses you need to have more coming through your yard.

“It would be tough to turn the bigger owners away, so ideally we’d like to grow. I’m a good age and we’ve got a good team of young staff so we’d like to train more winners if possible and get better horses.”