The last three runners of the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase are all lining up again this year. It’s a contest to savour but punters have only wanted to know one horse – UN DE SCEAUX.
Betway’s Queen Mother Champion Chase Current Odds
Un De Sceaux (4/5), Sprinter Sacre (9/2), Dodging Bullets, Special Tiara and Felix Yonger (12/1), Sire De Grugy (14/1), Sizing Granite (22/1), God’s Own (25/1), Somersby (40/1), Just Cameron (80/1)
The winner of five of his seven starts over fences – he was in the lead and going well when falling in the other two – Willie Mullins’ eight-year-old comfortably pulled clear of 2014 winner Sire De Grugy in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot last time. He’d adopted similar front-running tactics to get the better of God’s Own in the Arkle at The Festival last year and will take some pegging back in the Champion Chase if his jumping holds up.
Sprinter Sacre has to be treated with kid gloves but has been back to something approaching his best this season, beating Sire De Grugy narrowly in the Desert Orchid at Kempton over Christmas. Unfortunately, that for may still not be good enough and there is always the nagging doubt that his old troubles will flare up again under pressure. The 2013 winner was pulled up behind Dodging Bullets in the race last year and then beaten by Special Tiara at Sandown.
Un De Sceaux 5/1 enhanced odds to win Queen Mother at Paddy Power
Though held on the form book, Sire De Grugy is a battler and the general 16/1 will appeal for each-way punters.
YANWORTH and Yorkhill have nine rivals in the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle but should have the finish between them if both run up to their best form.
Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle Best Current Odds
Yanworth (11/8), Yorkhill (5/2), A Toi Phil (7/1), Bello Conti (20/1), O O Seven, Thomas Hobson and Vigil (25/1), Its’afreebee (33/1), Welsh Shadow and Yala Enki (50/1), Ghost River (100/1)
Both are unbeaten over hurdles so far and there shouldn’t be as much between them as the betting suggests but Alan King’s six-year-old has experience of Cheltenham and The Festival atmosphere and that could be decisive.
Another race in which two or three could well dominate is the Glenfarclas Chase. It has been a handicap since its inception in 2005 but the conditions have been changed this year so all the runners carry the same weight.
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That has to favour the classier types and, with previous experience of the cross-country course also a huge advantage, I’ve narrowed this one down to a couple. BALTHAZAR KING has already won the race twice and though he hasn’t raced since falling in last year’s Aintree Grand National, goes well fresh and the drying ground is in his favour. There is definitely some value in the general 6/1 as favourite Josies Orders is only half those odds, though did beat a few of today’s rivals over the cross-country fences in December and represents Enda Bolger, who has few peers in races of this nature.
Glenfarclas Chase Current Best Odds
Josies Orders (3/1), Balthazar King (6/1), Quantitativeeasing (7/1), Sire Collonges (10/1), Any Currency (11/1), Ballyboker Bridge (14/1), Cantlow (18/1), Third Intention and Dolatulo (20/1), Rivage D’Or (22/1), Bless The Wings, Love Rory and Uncle Junior (25/1), Rossvoss (33/1), Utah De La Coquais (40/1), Valadom (50/1)
