Alex Hammond: A Cross word | Altior, the Becher Chase and more

How appropriate that we are in December, because it really is time to talk Hollie (holly, obviously, but I needed to use some artistic licence!).

There are so many things to bury deep into the back of our minds this year, but for Hollie Doyle it really has been the breakthrough year that she deserved. She’s now a Group One-winning rider, has surpassed the impressive total of winners she notched up in 2019, has been named the winner of the prestigious Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award and is now a nominee to be BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

When we were asked on a chilly afternoon at Fakenham on 1st January 2020 to name our horse and human to follow on Sky Sports Racing for the next 12 months, my human was Hollie Doyle. Some scoffed at my selection, possibly feeling she was already up there amongst the best.

She was, however, I wanted to see her scale the heights with better rides in better races, to ride those group winners and be given the opportunity to do so. Yes, racing is a numbers game, but it’s the big races that raise your profile and get your name in lights. Well, goodness me, I couldn’t imagine the year would have gone quite as well for her as it did.

She’s now off to Hong Kong and a win out there really would propel her onto the world stage and that would open a whole new chapter for this modest star.

Perhaps, though, the most impressive achievement from Hollie this year wasn’t her first Royal Ascot winner, her first group victory in July or her maiden Group One on Glen Shiel on Champions Day. No, for me it was the extraordinary feat of leaping, from a standing start, onto a box in the gym that must have been over 2/3rds of her height! Respect.

I’ll go through some of the International races in Hong Kong next week, but for now let’s talk jump racing and there are some equine stars on show on Saturday.

It could be a super Saturday for Nicky Henderson who unleashes Altior at Sandown, Santini at Aintree and Top Notch could go for the stable at Huntingdon on Sunday.

Unsurprisingly Altior is going to be a short-priced favourite to win the Tingle Creek at Sandown which, if he wins, will be his 16th over fences from 17 outings, but he deserves to be 4/5 fav (with Sky Bet) despite his advancing years.

He is apparently fitter for his reappearance this term than he was when making his seasonal debut at Ascot in the Christie 1965 Chase in 2019 when beaten by Cyrname over 2 miles 5 furlongs. I was there that day and he was out on his feet after that defeat, with his trainer calling the whole experience a debacle.

Thankfully, there were no lasting ill effects and he subsequently won the Game Spirit in February, but missed the Festival with a little problem. He had a recent racecourse gallop with Epatante who was majestic in winning the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle on Saturday, so that has worked out rather well. I saw his schooling session on Twitter recently and he looked electric. What I’m trying to say in a rather long-winded fashion is, he should win!

Altior won the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase on the same card back in 2016 on his second start over fences and trying to emulate him are a field of high quality young chasers.

The Dan Skelton-trained Allmankind is amongst the entries, with last season’s headstrong juvenile hurdler impressing on his chasing debut at Warwick last month.

French import Hitman was equally as impressive on his chasing debut and first run for Paul Nicholls at Ffos Las in early November and GA Law has shown his aptitude for chasing by taking his record to three from three since being sent over fences by trainer Jamie Snowdon.

The horse I like here though is recent Cheltenham winner Eldorado Allen who may be fortunate to be two from two over fences after his task was made easier last time out when Gumball crashed out of the grade 2 two fences from home.

There’s no saying that if he’d stood up Gumball would have beaten the selection though and afterwards trainer Colin Tizzard said this horse is the best 2 miler they have ever had. The yard form has been a bit patchy, but I think this horse is the real deal and at 5/1 with Sky Bet I’d rather be with him than against.

Over at Aintree the Becher Chase looks as tricky as ever to work out, so what will run well over the famous National fences?

Walk In The Mill comes alive here and has won the last two renewals, he’s 11/2 with Sky Bet to land the hat-trick. He’s 8lb higher than he was 12 months ago, but you’d be a braver person than me to leave him out of calculations.

The one I’m going to side with here though is a horse I’ve tipped up twice already this season without success. “Cliff horse” I hear you cry! Not at all, because Crosspark has run well on both of those occasions and I feel that this track and trip will really suit Caroline Bailey’s horse.

I spoke with Caroline at Chepstow the day before he made his seasonal debut at the track and she told me he’s hard to gauge at home as he’s quite lazy. Despite that, he was narrowly touched off in second and he backed that up with another silver medal at Sandown over 3 miles last month. He’s a wonderful staying chaser and seems adaptable regards the ground, so any further rain won’t be an issue. It’s incredibly competitive, but at 10/1 with Sky Bet, I’d like him on my side.

There could well be a horse running on the same card at Aintree on Saturday that I’ve been waiting to see out again. If Monte Cristo runs in the two and a half mile handicap hurdle (12.55pm) I’ll definitely be a backer.

He blew up badly on his seasonal reappearance at the same course back in October and I expect to see a much improved performance when we see him again. He’s a French import and runs in the double green of Souede and Munir and looks a lovely prospect. He’s only a four-year-old and runs off a 3lb lower mark than when he made is seasonal debut. He ought to be capable to win off his current rating, so I hope he runs on Saturday.

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