Finian's Rainbow 'could become the new Denman'

Adrian Maguire, the man who discovered 2008 Gold Cup winner Denman, believes Finian's Rainbow could follow in his path.

The former top jump jockey-turned-trainer handled Denman during his early career, sending him out to win a point to point at Liscarroll in March 2005.

When Maguire sold Denman to Paul Nicholls, it was with his hand on his heart that he told him that he would just need a bit of luck to become a Gold Cup horse.

And now he believes the same could be true of Finian's Rainbow, another rising star who passed though Maguire's hands and is now in the care of Nicky Henderson.

The six-year-old has had just two runs for the Lambourn handler, ending last season with a 10-length win in a Kempton bumper, and beginning this term with a 15-length beating of Sereth on his novice hurdling debut at Newbury.

Maguire said: "Finian's Rainbow has a big future ahead of him. We passed him on to Nicky and he won very easily on Hennessy Gold Cup day. It wasn't a fluke and he could be another Denman."