Gavin Cromwell expects Inothewayurthinkin to put a dismal Savills Chase behind him when he defends his reputation in Saturday’s Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown, insisting the reigning Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup winner has worked with far more purpose at home than he showed in public over Christmas.
The eight-year-old has failed to land a blow in two starts this season, and Cromwell has not tried to dress it up. After finishing fifth on his comeback in the John Durkan Memorial at Punchestown over an extended 2m3f, he came back to Leopardstown last month for the Savills Chase and folded, trailing in last of those to complete.
“Christmas was a non event as he never rose a gallop and hopefully we will bounce back to what we know he is capable of here,” Cromwell told the Sporting Life, the frustration in the assessment matched by the blunt detail of the performance. “His run at Christmas was a real head scratcher. He was back up in trip to three miles and he should have run much better than he did. He didn’t show any zest at any point of the race or jump well.”
That lack of rhythm at his fences — a horse clobbering rather than meeting a stride — is the part that alarms punters most with a proven Grade 1 stayer. Cromwell’s counterargument is simple: the yard isn’t seeing those signs now, and the Irish Gold Cup’s extended three miles gives him the exact examination he needs before bigger spring targets come into focus.
“We are on track for the Irish Gold Cup and he is going well at home. We are happy so hopefully we can see more of what we would like to see the next day,” he said. “From what I see at home I’m happy that we will see what we want from him, but it is a case of keeping our fingers crossed.”
Inothewayurthinkin lines up at Leopardstown as a general 8/1 chance, with Cromwell asking him to answer one question above all others: can he travel and jump with the authority of a Gold Cup winner again when the tempo lifts turning for home?