Although it's still only November, Saturday's feature Paddy Power Gold Cup is one of the biggest handicaps of the entire season.
This renewal looks a good one, too!
Meetmebythesea has been targeted at this race ever since winning the Jack Richards Novices' Chase in March and, if he wins, will have Graded targets down the line.
Champion trainer Dan Skelton saddles Blueking d'Oroux and Madara, Paul Nicholls has Quebecois and the Irish challenge is set to be led by July Flower.
Taking into account factors such as: form, track, trip, ground, pace, age, weight, jockey and trainer, we've asked ChatGPT to predict the first three home.
ChatGPT's Paddy Power Gold Cup prediction
1st: Blueking d'Oroux
Picking up yet another major pot for the Skelton team, according to ChatGPT, is Blueking d'Oroux. He joined Kabral Du Mathan, Matterhorn and Matterhorn is leaving Nicholls for the champion trainer and finished runner-up in a Grade 1 back in April.
ChatGPT said: "My selection to win is Blueking d'Oroux. I particularly like his consistency, having recorded six wins and six second-place finishes from 21 starts, and his experience could prove invaluable in this competitive renewal. His move to Dan Skelton is an interesting development. Skelton is particularly adept at preparing horses for major handicap races and I wouldn't be surprised if this has been identified as a realistic target."
2nd: Meetmebythesea
Meetmebythesea has only been defeated twice in his short career, once in a competitive handicap hurdle at Sandown and more recently when thrown into deep waters in the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury. He ended last season with an impressive success at the Cheltenham Festival, and the form couldn't have worked out any better.
ChatGPT said: "My second selection is Meetmebythesea, who looks to have an excellent chance of being involved in the finish. Trained by Ben Pauling and ridden by Harry Cobden, he has already demonstrated his ability around Cheltenham, by virtue of his victory at the Cheltenham Festival. At just six years old, he potentially has further improvement in him, which is an important consideration in a race of this nature."
3rd: Norn Iron
Harry Derham's training career is still very much on the rise and he bids to eek a little more improvement out of consistent chaser Norn Iron. Since stepping up in trip, he has progressed from a mark of 116 to 137, finishing runner-up at the Punchestown Festival when last seen. Still fairly unexposed at intermediate trips over fences, he may still offer more.
ChatGPT said: "For third place, I'm going with Norn Iron, trained by Harry Derham and ridden by Paul O'Brien. He's an interesting contender because he appears to be a horse that is still progressing, and his second-place finish in a competitive Listed novice handicap chase at Punchestown was particularly encouraging. Although he has been raised 6lbs for that performance, I wouldn't regard that enough to rule him out."
Paddy Power Gold Cup latest odds
(Odds will display when market is available)
Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation.
