HORSES aren't supposed to have carnivorous tendencies but it seems Denman has once again developed a taste for human flesh.
Which, according to joint-owner Harry Findlay, or Henry McDonald Findlay to give him his Sunday name, can only be good news for those who fancy the reigning Gold Cup champion to successfully defend his title at Cheltenham this afternoon.
So su
perior to his rivals did Denman look 12 months ago, the bookies immediately installed him a short-priced favourite to land back-to-back victories. The fact he's now available at around the 6-1 mark, having been even bigger than that, is a slight hint things haven't quite gone to plan in the interim.
A defibrillating heart kept him off the course for almost a year but Denman's much-anticipated return to action at Kempton last month proved to be an enormous let down as he trailed home a well beaten second behind Madison Du Berlais.
The champ looked so leaden-hoofed that day, there were serious doubts as to whether or not he would even turn-up today, but he's there, and despite earlier pessimism, Paisley-born Findlay is warming to the fact that all is not lost.
"I'm a little bit more confident than I was," he told The Scotsman. "To me, it's been a personality disorder as much as anything else that has been bothering him. He hasn't wanted to eat people or wanted to rip anyone's arm off, but when I popped in to see him on Monday, he did.
"It was the first time for a while I've seen Denman behaving and acting like his old self.
"The vibes for the last ten days have been positive and I think you'll see in the market he's been bet. I haven't backed him myself so other people obviously feel a bit more optimistic about his chances.
"Paul Barber (joint owner] has always been fairly positive, but Paul Nicholls and I would have made him favourite not even to run two or three weeks ago but all of a sudden, he seems very happy," added Findlay, who in his other guise as a professional gambler, has plenty of fish to fry at the moment. He holds four of the 17 winning tickets in last week's Scoop6 and tomorrow, will have a stab at winning the £3.2million bonus on offer.
"The punting is full on at the moment and since Denman has had his problem, it's been well documented that I haven't really fancied his chances so I haven't really thought that much about the Gold Cup.
"It was only on Monday night when I saw him bobbing and weaving that I even thought about him winning it.
"Last year, there was a lot of pressure on us and I enjoyed it but it's different this time.
"If you speak to Paul Nicholls, you could only bet Kauto Star. He thinks Kauto's already past the post, but then, he thought that last year as well."
Assuming the champion trainer is right, there seems little point in looking elsewhere for the winner, particularly as Nicholls says he's never had the 2007 Blue Riband winner in better shape, so that old chestnut of no former Gold Cup hero coming back to reclaim the prize, could easily be blown out of the water.
As Findlay points out, however, Nicholls has been wrong in the past so for all that the chances of Kauto Star are much respected, it may be worth taking him on with stablemate Neptune Collonges.
Only a short-head separated the pair when they chased home Denman in second and third last March and the selection appears to be in even better form this time. He landed Leopardstown's Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup without too much fuss last month and for sheer consistency, the John Hales owned grey has few peers in the chasing game.
The consensus of opinion is that Neptune Collonges will have to conjure up some improvement to win, but that's assuming all of his rivals arrive at Prestbury Park at the top of their game. There's no guarantee of that happening and Christian Williams's mount is still a big enough price to repay at least an each-way interest.
There was a time when the County Hurdle brought the curtain down on Cheltenham but things have changed, albeit the race still remains as difficult to work out as ever. Which is, of course, why punters love it.
With 28 runners, it's a huge minefield, but when Kasbah Bliss can't even make it into the first three in yesterday's World Hurdle, perhaps a maximum field of handicappers is the easy option in comparison to the Festival's Championship events.
Raise Your Heart has been specifically trained for this race by Joanna Morgan which explains why he hasn't been seen since last October. The frenetic gallop they're sure to go will suit him and he carries the nap.
