Gold Cup Aim For Ultra Consistent Son Of Milan

Santini (8g Milan - Tinagoodnight, by Sleeping Car) now has the Cheltenham Gold Cup in his sights after justifying favoritism in the Grade 2 Cotswold Chase at the Cheltenham Trials meeting.

Saturday marked a fifth black-type success for the lightly-raced son of Milan, who was produced late by Nico de Boinville and won by three and a half lengths, the field strung out behind the runner-up Bristol De Mai. Nicky Henderson, who trains the bay for owner/breeders Mr and Mrs Kelvin-Hughes, commented after the race, “This horse is worth the wait. He's big and powerful and learning all the time. He thrives on work and we've thrown it at him.”

Santini has won seven of his ten career starts and has never finished out of the placings. He is one of three black-type horses out of the mare Tinagoodnight, who has a three-year-old filly by Walk In The Park. Santini’s sire Milan commands €10,000 at Grange Stud this season.