'It was a big plan that went spectacularly wrong' - Harry Derham takes blame for Imagine's Paddy Power Gold Cup defeat

Harry Derham has taken the blame for the defeat of the well-fancied Imagine in Saturday's Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham, saying it was a plan that went "spectacularly wrong". 

The six-year-old was heavily supported ante-post and went off the 6-1 third favourite on his first start for the trainer. The Grade 2 winner was bought out of Gordon Elliott's yard for €320,000 at the Caldwell dispersal in February. 

However, Imagine never threatened under Paul O'Brien and was pulled up three fences from home, leaving Derham frustrated at his decision to run him on unsuitably quick ground. 

Imagine (right): won the Grade 2 Craddockstown Novice Chase at Punchestown for Gordon Elliott last seasonCredit: Patrick McCann

"The ground was too fast for Imagine," he said. "I shouldn't have run him and it was trainer mistake. It's nobody's fault – the team at Cheltenham did the best they could in very difficult circumstances – but it was good ground at Cheltenham on Saturday and all of his form is on deep ground. 

"He never got going and Paul rightly looked after him. I don't really have anything in mind for him. Saturday was a big plan that went spectacularly wrong, so we just need to regroup and get ourselves together and make another plan."

Derham is also weighing up options for his Greatwood Hurdle runner Teddy Blue, who was last of the 13 horses to finish the race after acting reluctant before the start.

Jamie Snowden fared much better in the Paddy Power Gold Cup with Ga Law, who found only the winner Il Ridoto too strong under Gavin Sheehan having won the race off a 13lb higher mark in 2022.

Ga Law (green and blue silks): finished an admirable second in Saturday's Paddy Power Gold Cup at CheltenhamCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

"We were delighted with his run off that sort of weight," Snowden said. "Gav gave him a brilliant ride. He slipped around the home turn, but I don't think he would have been able to catch the winner. 

"The performance puts us in a bit of a difficult position now because he's going to be racing off big weights in handicaps. He's been dropped 1lb, but we will have to look at Graded races now. He could go for something like the Peterborough Chase on December 8."

Another yard star is the Cheltenham Festival winner You Wear It Well, who finished runner-up in a Listed race on her chasing debut last Wednesday. 

He said: "She looked to take to fences well and I think she would have won nine out of ten runnings of the race. She'll probably go for a beginners' chase at Haydock before Christmas."

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