Nube Negra put in a fine display to make a winning seasonal debut in the Grade Two Shloer Chase at Cheltenham.
The Queen Mother Champion Chase runner-up had looked a shade unfortunate in defeat when beaten half a length at the Festival and despite a disappointing final run of the campaign at Punchestown, he returned with a ready success for Dan and Harry Skelton, who went on to win the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle with West Cork in the next race on the card.
Sent off at 9/4, just behind old rival and Champion Chase victor Put The Kettle On in the betting, Nube Negra tanked along under a tight reign, was produced to tackle long-time leader Politologue two out, before clearing the last safely and galloping up the famous hill for a convincing victory.
Henry De Bromhead's Put The Kettle On could never get into a rhythm under Aidan Coleman, while Politologue's new Paul Nicholls stablemate Rouge Vif ran well for a long way but was ultimately found out by his classy rivals and finished last of the quartet, despite being backed into 3/1 through the morning of the race.
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Betfair make Nube Negra a 4/1 chance for next month’s Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown, while the same firm cut him from 20/1 to 10s for the Champion Chase, a race for which Sky Bet go 10/1 (from 20s).
His trainer said: “I’m chuffed to bits for the horse. Some said he might have been lucky to be second in the Champion Chase, but I thought that was a strong race today.
“I know Put The Kettle On hasn’t turned up, but Politologue looked very fit and is a former champion. He went a hard gallop and kept going. I’m so proud of the horse. His owner Terry (Spraggett) has always wanted a good horse and now he’s got one.
“In novices you are always thinking ‘we’ll do this or that’ but this is the big league and I’m delighted. I’m sorry to beat John (Hales) and Paul (Nicholls) because Politologue has run his heart out and didn’t deserve to get beat, but it was a fair run from him and I’m chuffed to bits with Nube.
“It’s been an up and down few days, but whatever sport you are in it is about being professional, sometimes it rolls for you and sometimes it rolls against you. You have to learn from those situations and come out stronger. I’ve learned more this week than I ever have.
“I had a tingle in my hands when he jumped the last and I don’t think I’ve ever had that before.”
He went on: “He’s very good fresh and we picked this race two or three weeks ago when it looked like the ground would be decent. He’s seven, he’s still improving and while I know it’s a strong division, I’m just delighted. I think he can go on to even more.
“Politologue has run his heart out, but sometimes you have to give way to younger legs and that is ultimately what has happened. It’s not about beating Paul, it’s about having those good horses on the good days and making it stick. Some haven’t recently, like Shan Blue and My Drogo, but you’ve got to land the odd big fish.
“I don’t know about the Tingle Creek. There’s an obvious route, but at the end of the day this is a big race so we’ll stay in the present. We’ll consider Sandown and obviously Kempton, because he’s so good there, but he’s going to come back here, isn’t he (in March).
“Some said last year because it was a slow-run race and he’s a fast horse he got lucky. I don’t think he did.
“He’s entitled to get stronger and stayed on well today. Shishkin is the same age. I also think ours handled the ground a bit better today. We won’t be shy of taking them all on anyway.”
His rider said: “That was absolutely brilliant. The horse deserves that, he knocked on the door in the Queen Mother and then was back here today.
“The ground was a bit dead for him I thought. Now that he’s getting a bit older, he’s staying a bit better and getting a bit stronger. It was a brilliant performance. He’s hitting the line hard now as a two-miler.
“Fair play to Dan, he’s looked after him. Terry has been a loyal supporter of the family for a long time, they deserve a good horse and they’ve got one.”
Nicholls, who recorded a double earlier on the card, felt the the ground was too lively for the runner up, saying: “Politologue could do with the ground a lot slower now just to suit him as he was flat out all the way round and was using a bit too much all the time to try to stretch them.
“The winner is seven and likes good ground so we’re at the other end of the scale, but I’d say there’s still a nice race in him somewhere on soft ground and we’ll find somewhere for him. He’s run a really good race.
“If the Tingle Creek came up testing in three weeks’ time, I would not be afraid to let him have a go at that, but if not we can wait and go to Kempton or that January race at Ascot – I’d say he’d be at his best now on slow ground where stamina is a bit more of an issue over two miles.”
Aidan Coleman was of a similar view regarding the ground for Put The Kettle On.
The rider said: “They just had too much speed for her.
“Usually on that ground they don’t come back and I finished with loads of mare. I wasn’t tired at the line, but in that ground they’ve gone quick and they just don’t stop. I was waiting for a collapse in the pace, but on good ground it’s not going to happen. She hit the line strong and there’s a lot of positives – it was just too dry for her I think.”
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