Mark Howard looks back on an informative week in the run-up to Cheltenham and wonders whether we'll definitely see the 'big three' in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Altior could scare off Defi
Normal service resumed at Newbury on Saturday as far as Altior was concerned with the dual Champion Chase winner claiming the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase for a third time.
Returning from a break of 77 days following his only defeat over obstacles at Ascot in November, the ten year old produced his customary turn of foot on the run-in to pull away from old rival Sceau Royal to score by over three lengths. With his career firmly back on track, the High Chaparral gelding is once again vying for favouritism for the two mile crown at Cheltenham in March.
Nicky Henderson’s gelding, who will be bidding for his fifth success at the Festival next month, hit a flat spot between the final couple of fences but his trademark change of speed in the latter stages proved the difference and he was comfortably on top when crossing the line.
A ten times Grade 1 winner, it will be interesting to see if his performance at the weekend may persuade JP McManus and Philip Hobbs to steer young pretender Defi Du Seuil towards the Ryanair Chase rather than the Queen Mother as they have maintained all along the former Triumph Hurdle and JLT Novices' Chase winner will go for the 'easier' option.
Willie Mullins has yet to win the two mile crown but he has his dual Grade 1 winner Chacun Pour Soi waiting in the wings following his emphatic victory at the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown earlier this month. With Altior back to form and racing over his optimum trip, he will be a tough nut to crack in what promises to be a compelling spectacle.
River on a roll again
Like Altior, the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Native River was successful on Newbury’s 'Super Saturday' for a third time as the ten year old backed up his wins in the 2017 and 2018 renewals of the Grade 2 Denman Chase.
Partnered for the first time by Jonjo O’Neill junior, Colin Tizzard’s charge produced a fine display of jumping before readily seeing off the 149 rated Secret Investor by nearly three lengths with old rival Might Bite trailing back in third.
Unbeaten in two starts this term and fitted with blinkers on both occasions, he will head back to Cheltenham with each-way claims. Fourth in steeplechasing’s Blue Riband last year, he never recovered from a slow start and failed to get into a rhythm. Headgear appears to have helped this campaign but he hasn’t tackled anything approaching Gold Cup class this winter and next month will tell us whether the Indian River gelding is as good as he was.
D'Orhy has star chaser potential
Paul Nicholls won the Betfair Hurdle for the first time in 2012 courtesy of Zarkandar under Ruby Walsh. Eight years later, the Champion trainer repeated the trick with another ex-French five year old.
Pic D’Orhy crossed the English Channel last winter with a lofty reputation having won three times over hurdles at Auteuil and been runner-up in Grade 1 company for Francois Nicolle.
Unplaced in the Triumph Hurdle nearly a year ago, his second season with Nicholls hadn’t gone to plan until the weekend having fallen at Auteuil in November and only finished sixth at Ascot last month. Dropped in trip at Newbury, he stayed on strongly after the last to wear down the well supported favourite Ciel De Neige.
A three parts of a length winner off a mark of 146, he isn’t entered in the Champion Hurdle but could be supplemented. While the Turgeon gelding wouldn’t look out of place in such an event, he is being trained with chasing in mind and I suspect he will be to the forefront of the ante-post market for the 2021 Arkle Trophy this time next year.
A big powerful gelding, he is an exciting prospect for years to come.
As far as Willie Mullins’ runner-up is concerned, one can’t help feeling this was a missed opportunity. Saturday’s race was a strange one. Ante-post favourite Not So Sleepy was severely inconvenienced by the ‘standing start’ and was on the back foot from the outset, while another leading fancy Never Adapt went wrong after the first flight and was immediately pulled up by Barry Geraghty.
Ciel De Neige raced prominently throughout and was left in front at the last when more carnage ensued with three runners hitting the deck. Given a more patient ride, Ireland could have been celebrating their first win in the prestigious event since Essex came home in front in 2005.
The County Hurdle may provide compensation for the Mullins runner, a race his trainer has won four times, but last year’s Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle third may have missed his chance of claiming a big one here.
House destined for top level
Newbury’s meeting on Saturday got under way with a two miles novice hurdle and it saw Chantry House book his place for the Festival with a facile four and a half lengths win.
The former Irish pointer had easily won on his hurdles debut at Cheltenham in December in a race which has worked out well. Back in action at his local track under a penalty, the Yeats gelding only had to be pushed out to win hard held.
Nicky Henderson now faces the dilemma regarding which race he aims the six year old at next month with the Sky Bet Supreme or Ballymore Novices’ Hurdles on his agenda.
With the current ante-post favourite for the former also stabled at Seven Barrows, the former champion trainer is likely to be keen to keep the pair apart, although McManus invariably has a leading contender for the Festival opener.
Much could depend on the same owner’s Sporting John, who was due to contest a Listed novice hurdle at Exeter on Sunday until Storm Ciara intervened. Either way, Chantry House is a high-class novice and it is only a matter of time before he wins his first Grade 1 prize.
Shishkin on steep upward curve
Henderson confirmed last week the Sky Bet Supreme is very much the target for Shishkin after the Sholokhov gelding also made it two wins over hurdles at Huntingdon on Thursday.
The former champion trainer won the two and a half miles Listed Sidney Banks Memorial Novices' Hurdle five years ago with Different Gravey and his latest winner looked just that as he sauntered clear of some useful rivals.
Like Chantry House, he is a former winning pointer from Ireland and the six year old had created a favourable impression when winning at Newbury last month.
Stepping up in distance and grade at the Cambridgeshire track, he powered eleven lengths clear of the 139-rated Shan Blue with the 141-rated Pacify over thirty lengths back in fourth.
It was a scintillating display and it will take a mighty performance on March 10 to stop Shiskhin providing his trainer with his fourth win in the race. He looks top drawer.
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