bet365 Gold Cup ground concerns for Le Reve

Lucy Wadham does not want to see the ground at Sandown get any quicker for Le Reve, the ante-post favourite for Saturday's Bet365 Gold Cup.

While the majority of attention at Sandown will be focussed on Tony McCoy who has his final rides before retirement, Wadham has had her eyes on this prize since January, having skipped various options at Cheltenham, Liverpool and in Ireland.

Everything has gone well with his preparation and he has won at Sandown twice already this season.

However, while Le Reve acts on good ground, the glorious weather this week has seen conditions drying all the time.

"He's in great form and I'm very happy with him," said Wadham.

"We're just keeping an eye on the weather, I wouldn't want it to get too quick.

"Good ground would be fine for him, but if it starts getting towards good to firm that might not be ideal.

"I'm sure they'll put plenty of water on, though, and there's a bit of rain forecast."

If the rain does come, that could be bad news for Tony McCoy as that would make the participation of Rocky Creek more likely.

The weights would rise 5lb if Rocky Creek misses out, meaning a significant leap in the weight of the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Lost Legend, who is currently set to carry 10st 4lb which is McCoy's minimum riding weight.

Rocky Creek's owner, Andy Stewart said: "If it rains and the ground is on the soft side of good then Rocky Creek will run and Nick Scholfield will ride him."

Le Reve is currently 8/1 favourite with Sky Bet ahead of 10/1 shots Paint The Clouds and The Package.