Sir Alex Ferguson couldn't believe the odds of the horse he co-owns when Clan Des Obeaux was sent off at 13/2 for the Betway Bowl Chase at Aintree.

Paul Nicholls' ten-year-old took the three miles, one furlong race on Merseyside and could go at decent odds again in the Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup on Wednesday, April 27.

Yet, Clan Des Obeaux is the reigning champ in this race at Punchestown, seeing off Al Boum Photo under Sam Twiston-Davies 12 months ago.

Don of Ditcheat Nicholls loves his trips to Punchestown and says "Clan" is in good order.

"We're always made very welcome. We love it and in the future, maybe we'll have even more to come. If we have the right ones, we'll be there," said the champion trainer.
"It's about running the right horses in the right races. We thought that the Ladbrokes Gold Cup would suit Clan and that's why we're coming back again this year. It's going to be a tough old race with Allaho and he had a harder race at Aintree than last year, but it was a career best in many ways.
"But this race suits him, the track suits him and the way he ran last year shows it suits him and you've got to target those races for him."
Nicholls added: "It's a waste of time running him around Cheltenham. He hates it, as Silviniaco Conti did, but you've got to run them in the right races, as we did bringing two horses to Punchestown last year and they both won."

Meanwhile, two-times Ryanair Chase victor Allaho of Willie Mullins returns to three miles after mainly being campaigned over two miles and change. Mullins' assistant son Patrick isn't fazed though.

"His options are limited. We didn't go to Aintree as he put in a huge performance at Cheltenham and we thought asking him to come back that quick would be tough.
"When we have two good horses in the two-mile race, the Gold Cup over three miles at Punchestown would look the obvious race for him to go to.
"It's not like he doesn't stay three miles, he is just probably at his optimum over two and a half miles, but he is still a very good horse over three miles.
"I do think he is a better horse going left handed as he does adjust to his left, but I wouldn't be surprised if he could win a Punchestown Gold Cup."