Venetia Williams believes Katenko could develop into a contender for both the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Williams describes Aintree as a “very serious option” but she feels taking on the best at level weights at Cheltenham could also be possible.
The seven-year-old looked a young chaser on the up when winning a staying handicap chase at Sandown in good style earlier this month.
“He was bought as a horse we could have some fun with. I persuaded Andrew (Brooks, owner) this could be a good horse for him to have as his rating was such that he could just get in the Grand National and now that is a very serious option,” the Herefordshire trainer told At The Races.
“The handicap rating he’s got at the moment (147) doesn’t suggest he’s an obvious Gold Cup contender, but if he goes and wins his next race, whatever that might be, that could bring him into the 150s or early 160s.
“A few years ago we ran Mon Mome in the Gold Cup. He finished third and the prize for that was 50,000 (pounds) and there is no reason to think Katenko couldn’t come into that bracket.”
Katenko currently holds two entries on Saturday, at Doncaster and Cheltenham, but both meetings are not certain to go ahead because of the cold weather.
