3.30 Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade One)
Un De Sceaux will have to defeat three previous winners of the Queen Mother Champion Chase if he is to justify favouritism in the feature race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
However, despite the presence of last year’s winner Dodging Bullets, 2014 hero Sire De Grugy and 2013 winner Sprinter Sacre, it remains a race that lacks strength in depth.
Un De Sceaux has now won all 14 of his completed starts, with his only two reversals coming via falls.
The first of those mishaps came on his chasing debut at Thurles. Willie Mullins’ charge wouldn’t have been the first high-class horse to have fluffed his lines when making the transition from hurdles to fences, and normal service was resumed for the remainder of his novice chasing campaign, culminating in a breathtaking win in the Arkle 12 months ago.
The French import again suffered a surprise defeat this season on his reappearance in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Ruby Walsh’s mount was travelling by far the best and hadn’t yet been asked for his effort when he tipped up at the second last, allowing Flemenstar to return to winning ways.
Un De Sceaux bounced back to his best when seeing off Sire De Grugy on his most recent outing in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot.
Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of that last-time out success was the manner in which it was achieved. The son of Denham Red proved far more amenable to restraint than has hitherto been the case.
The habitual frontrunner again made all, but he didn’t pull nearly as hard in the silky hands of Walsh as has often been the case. It could be that the conservative approach adopted by Mullins in the embryonic stages of Un De Sceaux’s career are now bearing fruit.
Potential trips to the Cheltenham Festival in 2013 and 2014 were eschewed in favour of a more patient approach for a horse, who although supremely gifted, looked mentally immature earlier in his career.
Those two falls that have blemished his otherwise faultless record shouldn’t be viewed too harshly. A staying chaser may get away with ballooning fences, but in the two-mile division, jumping fences efficiently is imperative.
Time spent in the air is time wasted and clearing the obstacles low and fast is the optimum way of winning races. The great Moscow Flyer exhibited similar jumping tactics and that led to 19 wins over fences. The only defeats he suffered in his pomp were when he fell or unseated his rider.
Sprinter Sacre’s (above) yawning 19-length defeat of Sizing Europe in the 2013 renewal of this race seem a distant memory. The heart problem which came to light after his shock defeat at Kempton does seem seem to have blunted his brilliance. Recapturing the form he once showed looks unlikely at the age of 10.
Barry Geraghty’s mount began the season in style, hammering old stager Somersby in a fast time in the Shloer Chase over course and distance. However, his narrow defeat of Sire De Grugy in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton over Christmas didn’t mark a step forward.
Sire De Grugy was perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Sprinter Sacre’s spell on the sidelines and the horses he accounted for during his annus mirabilis two seasons ago were hardly world beaters.
He did manage to edge out Special Tiara in the Tingle Creek at Sandown earlier in this campaign, but Sprinter Sacre and Un De Sceaux had his measure in his two subsequent starts. Adding another Champion Chase crown looks a tall order for Gary Moore’s flagbearer.
Dodging Bullets capped a superb campaign last season by defeating Somersby to give trainer Paul Nicholls a fifth win in this race, but his preparation for the defence of his crown has been a difficult one.
Sam Twiston-Davies’ mount trailed home 10 lengths behind Top Gamble on his only outing of the season at Newbury in February.
Dodging Bullets clearly struggled with the unsuitably soft going that day and should improve for the livelier surface that’s likely to prevail at Prestbury Park. However, achieving peak fitness on the back of that sole outing is a mighty ask.
Special Tiara (below) has run some huge races over the years, but struggles to find his optimum conditions, namely quick ground and a sharp track.
Like Un De Sceaux, Special Tiara is an inveterate frontrunner. Henry de Bromhead’s runner finished third in last season’s race and should again run well for a long way. However, he once more may prove vulnerable in the closing stages of the race.
Verdict:
A 53-day break for Un De Sceaux heading into this race looks a smart move, given his gung-ho running style. Jumping is the name of the game, but his efforts when completing eclipse those recent runs of his rivals by some way.
There is a possibility that the favourite could become involved in a speed duel with Special Tiara for the lead, compromising the chances of both runners. However, Un De Sceaux set what looked like an unsustainable early pace in last year’s Arkle and still galloped resolutely up the hill.
In a race that looks assured to be run at a sound early tempo, it may be worth considering the chances of a horse that’s likely to sit some way off the early pace.
Felix Yonger’s last two wins have come despite running on ground that was much softer than ideal. His previous form also indicates that he stays a bit further than this trip.
That stamina and a preference for better ground could see him make the frame as an each-way alternative to Un De Sceaux.
Selection: Un De Sceaux
Alternative: Felix Yonger (Each-way)
