Paddy Power Gold Cup key quotes

Paul Nicholls, Ginny’s Destiny: “He’s a very exciting horse. We have done as much as we possibly can without a run.

“He did have an away day with a few others, but it’s not like a run. We will make sure there is enough ease in the ground on Friday.”

Paul Nicholls, Il Ridotto: “He’s off a lightweight, will love the ground, and has definitely improved since his seasonal reappearance at Chepstow.”

“We’re expecting a big run.”

Jamie Snowden, Ga Law: “I was very impressed with his seasonal return. I thought he jumped great over a trip that was a little bit short.

“On good ground around Chepstow, it’s not a stamina test, is it? I think it was a very decent performance; he was probably only 85-90% fit that day.

“He’s certainly come on from that; his in the prime of his life being an eight-year-old. Obviously, we won this race as a six-year-old but off a mark of 142.

“He’s off 155 now. It’s a shame that the handicapper put us up one pound for our Chepstow run. But he won off 150 at Cheltenham in January, and I think he’s an improving horse.

“Ground conditions should be fine. The extra furlong from Chepstow will obviously help, and we’re very keen on his chances.”

Dan Skelton, Protektorat: “We’re very happy with him. They’ve obviously put a lot of water on, with it being the last meeting before the Festival on the Old Course, which kind of suits us that they can water plenty.

“We’re there on the Friday, and we’ll make sure the ground is what we want it to be for him. But I’m sure it will be listening to the reports.

“He’s done loads of work. He has to shoulder a lot of weight, but he’s a multiple Grade 1 winner. He’s good around the track, and we’re looking forward to running him.

“There’s actually a limited amount of places to go with him. Ascot’s going to be very fast next week, I think, looking at the forecast, so it’s a good place to come.

Dan Skelton, Madara: “He obviously recently moved to us, but he jumped nicely this morning.

“I’m on a bit of a learning curve with him because I’ve only had him a short time. But, he’s got no weight and he’s got course experience.

Gavin Cromwell, Hartur d’Arc: “He’s summered well, and he’s well ready to start off. He’s as fit as I can get him for his first run. We’re very happy with him.

“The drop back to two and a half shouldn’t be a problem for him. He shows plenty of gears at home. The three-mile-five probably stretched him in the Irish National.

“On good ground, he’s obviously going to need a lot of pace, but hopefully he’ll be fine over that. He’s not a huge-framed horse, and he moves away well, so shouldn’t be an issue.