DRINK TO FORGET THE PAST IN HENNESSY!
 
Robert Alner invariably has a good chaser or two to go to war with and, with Kingscliff appearing to have lost his way and Sir Rembrandt now drawing his pension, The Listener signalled his arrival as a credible Gold Cup contender when making all to beat Beef Or Salmon by eight lengths in the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown on December 28.
 
Now the grey bids to become the third horse since the mid 90s to win the Lexus and the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup in the same season when he returns to the scene of his finest hour on Saturday. Both bet365 and Paddy Power rate the eight-year-old an odds-on chance, going 10/11, but William Hill offer 11/10 about him doing the double.
 
Beef Or Salmon has done the double in question twice – winning this valuable Grade 1 chase in 2003 and last year following success in the Lexus – and while Michael Hourigan’s stable star was ultimately well held by The Listener over the Christmas period, I reckon that the 11-year-old will finish a good deal closer this time.
 
My reasoning for this is that I feel that Andrew McNamara underestimated The Listener – he gave that rival too much rope, probably expecting him to run out of petrol. On the day, Beef Or Salmon was readily outpaced by the winner, but he kept on well after the last and, this time, McNamara will be more respectful of The Listener and keep closer tabs on him.
 
However, I believe that they will both be turned over by the Michael O’Brien-trained Forget The Past, who rates a pretty good bet at 7/2 to my mind. O’Brien, who pulled favourite In Compliance out of this very race a few days ago, is as shrewd a cookie as there is within the training ranks, and this nine-year-old, who was third in last year’s Gold Cup, has been brought along steadily this term
 
Forget The Past landed a race over timber on his reappearance before producing a masterful performance in the Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles last month when beating Hi Cloy by two lengths. He was good value for that winning margin as he was eased-down in the closing stages, but the most impressive feature was his pinpoint jumping and the way he travelled throughout the race.
 
That was over two and a half miles, but this return to three miles will be in his favour and, if he jumps as well on Saturday as he did at Thurles, he’ll be a tough nut to crack as something these rivals won’t be able to match is his turn of foot. Indeed, he has plenty of pace for a stayer, and such is his stamina reserves that connections are aiming him at the Grand National.
 
The Listener is generally a safe conveyance and chances are that he will get an uncontested lead, with the other duo that make up the five-strong field, Hi Cloy and Patsy Hall, both needing to be held up. Forget The Past tends to race prominently, so I imagine that he’ll sit in the favourite’s slipstream before being asked to go about his business in the home straight.
 
 Beef Or Salmon will, as ever, be arriving late on the scene and, providing that his jumping holds up, he’ll be bang there at the finish. I can envisage him proving the main danger to the selection with The Listener having to settle for third. This race probably won’t cause ripples in the Cheltenham Gold Cup market, but it’s a mouthwatering prospect all the same and will certainly be informative.
 
Verdict - 1pt Forget The Past @ 7/2 (Paddy Power)