WHAT a difference a year makes in racing. This time last year punters headed to Ascot for a Grade 1 rematch between Defi Du Seuil and Un De Sceaux that didn’t disappoint in the Clarence House Chase (3:35), the former producing a scintillating performance to confirm form with the 11-year-old and set himself up to play a major part in a Champion Chase for the ages.
Today he defends his title but is as big as 4/1 to do so, with Politologue, the Champion Chaser and now a dual Tingle Creek winner, likely to be many people’s nap of the day.
A week in racing can be a long time as well and the addition of Waiting Patiently to this contest (supplemented at a cost £5,000 on Monday) adds a welcome new dimension.
Waiting Patiently has proven accurately named, with both his record of making it to the track and running style. Today will be just his 15th start but when he does run, he never goes badly – the only time he’s ever finished outside the front three was when he unseated early in the 2018 King George.
He put up an excellent run to finish second to Frodon at Kempton last month, flying home late again, and now takes a significant step down in trip. That said, his last run over just short of two miles was only two starts ago, the 2019 Tingle Creek, in which he was just a length away from Defi Du Seuil and Un De Sceaux.
Interestingly, his trainer Ruth Jefferson has indicated the 10-year-old looks set for a change to more foreceful tactics today. Speaking on the Champ.ie podcast this week, Jefferson said: “When he ran at Sandown in the Tingle Creek last year, that was his first run that year and the false start lit him up a little bit and he got quite revved up so Brian took a pull and dropped him back out again.
“He jumped off a bit handier that day over the two miles and I imagine we’ll do the same on Saturday. With regards to trip, he was beaten a length in a Tingle Creek and beaten two and a half lengths in a King George. I could pigeon-hole him and say ‘Well he won his Grade 1 at two and a half miles so that is his trip’, but once you start pigeon-holing horses, you start running out of options.
“He is a horse that isn’t the easiest to keep sound and healthy so rather than saying he’s a two-miler, three-miler or two-and-a-half miler, why not run him when he’s well and there is a race there for him, because he’s shown he is versatile in trip.”
REMEMBER the mini scramble there was for Bristol De Mai in the Gold Cup after he won the Peter Marsh Handicap Chase (2:40) by 22 lengths off a mark of 154? Well, there could be a similar shout today with the fast-progressing Royale Pagaille a clear favourite to defy a mark of 156.
In fairness, Bristol De Mai’s demolition of a handicap field was fair a sign of things to come, not in the Gold Cup, but back at Haydock where he is now a triple Betfair Chase winner.
Royale Pagaille is still a novice chaser, but it was telling that connections boldly gave him a Gold Cup entry at the Festival. He is owned by the Riccis, who have Monkfish for the RSA Chase, so pending a big performance today, he could very well end up in the Festival blue riband.
He could hardly have won more impressively at Kempton over Christmas, for which he got a 16lb rise. Arguably he has a tougher test than Bristol De Mai faced here in 2017, because although Nigel Twiston-Davies’s grey was winning off a stealthy mark, he didn’t have to carry top-weight given the presence of the 162-rated Alary (remember him?).
It’s also interesting that stable jockey Charlie Deutsch has elected to go to Ascot instead, most notably to ride in the Grade 1 on that card on the stable’s Fanion d’Estruval but also for Espoir Du Guye, who must have an excellent chance in the three-mile handicap chase (3:00).
Elsewhere at Haydock, the Ronnie Bartlett-owned Allart aims to book his Cheltenham ticket with a win in the opening Grade 2 novice chase. Allart made a brilliant start to his chasing career when too strong for the more experienced Fiddlerontheroof in the Noel Novices’ Chase at Ascot, the same race his owner won with Simonsig in 2012.
THE Thurles card on Sunday is an excellent offering and looks set to provide plenty of Festival clues.
Colreevy, already a Grade 1-winning novice chaser, can set herself up for Cheltenham by winning the opening Grade 2 mares’ novice chase (1:30). Connections could have a tricky decision to make then – stay in open company and take on novices or stay in mares’ company and take on her elders.
The Grade 2 Horse & Jockey Chase (2:00, formerly the Kinloch Brae) threw up Gold Cup winners Don Cossack and Sizing John in recent years. In truth, tomorrow’s renewal is unlikely to do the same but Allaho could set himself up for a Ryanair Chase bid with a win over this trip, while Elimay is another one who could be live in the mares’ chase.
Finally, the W.T. O’Grady Memorial Novice Hurdle (3:00), which threw up Monkfish last season, holds an exciting type in runaway Cork winner Gentlemansgame. The Robcour-owned gelding, trained by Mouse Morris, is the only horse in the race with an entry in the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle at the Festival.