David Bridgwater is adamant that The Giant Bolster's Gold Cup second was no fluke "The Form Book says that he's a better horse at Cheltenham than anywhere else," says Bridgwater, who was once an apprentice Flat jockey to Lester Piggott but retired from race-riding, aged 26, after smashing his arm. In between he was briefly first jockey to Martin Pipe. As far as the ground is concerned we're all in the same boat a bit. It's not like a selling hurdle and there's another one next week, which might be on better ground. He has performed on all sorts [of going] though, on reflection, his one run over hurdles on heavy was disappointing, but that was a long time ago. For the past 14 years Bridgwater, 41, has been training on Wyck Hill, overlooking the Cotswold market town, in a small way, but last season The Giant Bolster propelled the yard into the big time. Of course, for every man who thinks that the horse is potentially the best staying chaser around there will be one who tells you that until Denman came along, the horse that finished second in the Gold Cup was traditionally something of a plodder having a day in the sun. However, the man closest to The Giant Bolster believes he is a very good horse with the future very much in front of him. Everyone's very cagey about their chances, but he's straight enough and we'd be delighted to go home with a bit of prize money. He was only a baby last season really and he's only completed eight starts over fences, so we're hoping for some improvement. He had his shoes off the day after the Gold Cup and was out in the field six days later so he's had a good break. We think he's very, very good. The others have to step up, but on our Gold Cup form he's only got to stay the same. The son of Black Sam Bellamy was bought by Bridgwater out Andreas Wohler's German yard as an unraced two-year-old. "I went and had a sit on him," recalled Bridgwater. Rather than racing them come what may, because he was undeveloped and backward, he'd been looked after and I'm sure that approach is paying dividends. He hasn't grown during the summer, but mentally he's different. That was always going to be the case. To do what he did last season, well, I always thought he'd do it, but this season rather than last. "It's unrealistic to think we're going to win this, the King George, the Aon and the Gold Cup," added the trainer, "but if we win one of them, then we'll have had a great season."