Day 1 - 3:20 Queen Mother Champion Chase Preview & Selections

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is this year a fascinating race full of questions to be answered. The number one question left to be answered is over Sprinter Sacre – the incredible equine superstar was on a 10-run unbeaten streak at the end of the 2012/13 season when he won in style at Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown. He was truly a class above any horse he ran against and looked unbeatable when he ran in the Desert Orchid Chase on Boxing Day in 2013. He was pulled up.

Sprinter Sacre in his glorious prime

The irregular heartbeat he suffered that day corrected itself within two days, but those working with the horse on a daily basis reported that he wasn’t quite himself and he wasn’t seen again for over a year – until running at Ascot in January and finishing 2^nd behind Dodging Bullets. It wasn’t the Sprinter Sacre we had seen in the past.

Connections have been upbeat heading into this but the fact remains that nobody has even attempted to claim that this is the same Sprinter Sacre which we were lucky enough to witness on this day two years ago. I have no doubt that that Sprinter Sacre would easily beat Sire De Grugy or anything else in its path. I don’t see this Sprinter Sacre doing the same.

Sire De Grugy did have complications himself over this season and was very disappointing on his return at Newbury last month when he ran like a tired, unfit horse and unseated Jamie Moore at the third last fence. He bore no resemblance to the all-conquering ever-popular horse which won this race comprehensively last season.

Sire De Grugy won at Chepstow last time out

Connections took the bold step of running him again just 14 days later and just 18 days before the Champion Chase. The venue was Chepstow, the race a class 2 handicap chase. Sire De Grugy was on paper of a different class to his competitors and the weights were allocated accordingly, the Champion Chaser carrying 1 stone 6lb more than second in the weights Grey Gold. He obliged.

He was never in doubt, taking the lead three out and leaping over the last two like the Sire De Grugy we knew and loved last season. It was all too easy. Anybody underestimating that performance need only look at the weights again. A top display.

Champagne Fever’s high level of consistency at Cheltenham (won the Champion Bumper and Supreme here and lost the Arkle by the smallest of margins) puts him in the mix, with 5/1 giving the option of an each-way bet. He may prefer slightly softer ground or a slightly larger field, but coming back soon after his last start and his strong record in March are both positives. He proved himself not to be a staying chaser in the King George but put in two good runs since over 2m 4f, falling when in the mix at Thurles in January and winning last time out at Gowran.

Dodging Bullets 

Dodging Bullets hasn’t been seen since beating Sprinter Sacre at Ascot in January when he completed a Grade 1 double having won the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown in December. These two wins coincided with the introduction of a tongue tie by the Nicholls team. The big question is whether or not he can put in a big performance when the pressure is on in the big races in the spring – his form from November to January reads 113111311 and is a lot better than his form from February to April (24697245).

Mr Mole won when Sire De Grugy unseated on his reappearance. It was based on this win that he was to become a Champion Chase candidate, but the race really fell into place for him – Uxizandre and Sire De Grugy both unseated, leaving Mr Mole with only Upsilon Bleu and Karinga Dancer to contend with, neither or which had been travelling well from an early stage. He has now won three in a row this season but not at this level.

Simply Ned could be a nice each-way prospect at 20/1, only unplaced twice from 10 starts over fences, with form of F122132123. We’ll want the ground to have some sort of give, while I expect him to like Cheltenham (he has placed here before). He has a good place record at this time of year and I can see him running a big race from a big price.

Special Tiara disappointed in this race last year

Special Tiara was in good form coming here last season, ran from the front and couldn’t hold on, finishing 6^th. He found his old form by winning the Desert Orchid at Kempton over Christmas but it’s hard to tell whether he’ll do any better than last year this time around. He seems completely unsuited to the race and has been unsuccessful at Cheltenham.

Somersby has been very consistent in the past and is having his fourth run in this race – he’s 11 years old though and it’s a very big ask for a horse of that age to perform against younger opponents at Cheltenham, especially in one of the festival’s top races.

Even older is Champion Chase veteran Sizing Europe – he has run in each of the last four renewals of the race finishing 1^st, 2^nd, 2^nd and 4^th. He looked to be beyond winning another major prize last year when he returned to Ireland to emerge victorious from the Punchestown Champion Chase. It’s hard to see him returning to old form today, though.

Savello peaks at this time of year but has done nothing this season to suggest that he should be in the mix. He signed off last season by finishing 3^rd (nearly 2^nd) in the Champion Chase at Punchestown behind Sizing Europe and ahead of Somersby among others. This term he has finished 9^th of 9 in a Grade 1 and 4^th in a Grade 2 at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Sire De Grugy is a deserving favourite but although I'm cynical about Sprinter Sacre, he is an unknown force so I'd rather an each-way bet. Champagne Fever has a lot in his favour while Simply Ned is our longshot bet of the day. 

SELECTION: CHAMPAGNE FEVER E/W 5/1

LONGSHOT BET OF THE DAY: SIMPLY NED E/W 20/1