Every Runner has Some Sort Of Question To Answer So Side With The Classiest Horse
The Betway Champion Chase looks wide open this year with slight question marks over the two previous winners of the race, Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy.
Many will be very interested in the latter at 11/4 given how easily he won this race in 2013 and also the Arkle in 2012.
He as been sent off odds on for 12 of his 14 wins so the opportunity to get that sort of price is very tempting, especially as he travelled like the best horse on his reappearance after more than a year off in the Clarence House at Ascot.
The fact that the ground would have been softer than ideal there too, and he only went down 3 lengths to Dodging Bullets not given a hard time, suggests he retains plenty of his old ability, but probably not all of it.
Sire De Grugy is the returning champion having benefited from Sprinter Sacre’s absence in this last year and he too is 11/4 at the time of writing.
Like Sprinter Sacre he was beaten on his reappearance having had an interrupted preparation because of injury but unlike Sprinter Sacre he was able to put that right by winning next time out, albeit in a minor event.
Whilst Sprinter Sacre has easily beaten some very good horses I the past, such as Cue Card and Sizing Europe, a question mark remains over some of Sire De Grugy’s wins.
The Champion Chase he won last year was a very poor renewal.
Dodging Bullets at 4/1 may have improved plenty this season and beaten Sprinter Sacre on his latest start but there are question marks over his effectiveness at Cheltenham having been beaten in 3 of his last 4 starts at the venue.
Therefore it was no surprise to see Champagne Fever slightly ahead of him in the betting before being withdrawn late due to injury.
He won at the Festival in 2012 and 2013 (he beat the very talented My Tent Or Yours that year) and he was only beaten on the line at last year’s meeting in the Arkle.
Champagne Fever would have been a confident selection had he lined up.
The only other runner with single p odds is the improving Mr Mole at 7/1.
He was the horse that benefitted from Sire De Grugy’s fall on his latest start but this could be a step too far for Paul Nicholls’ quirky chaser.
Even if Sire De Grugy is back to his best that is unlikely to be good enough this year so he looks worth taking on, as does Dodging Bullets on a course where he often fails to show his best.
That leaves Sprinter Sacre as the alternative.
Even if he’s 75% of the horse he used to be that could well be enough and any improvement from his reappearance should see him go very close.
He may well be the most popular winner of the week too.
