Master Minded fans may have had a shock on Saturday, when the Victor Chandler winner’s lead was diminished to a disintegrating short head by the line, but the Paul Nicholls-trained eight year old is still the one to beat in the Champion Chase come March. Or so I reckon.
Let’s consider the facts. Firstly, Master Minded won the race. Okay, he looked like he’d win by as far as he liked after Petit Robin fell and severely hampered Kalahari King (more on those two in a moment). Granted, he was all out to prevail by the narrowest of margins as they smiled for the photo finish. And of course, Somersby would have won in another stride.
But the Ascot race is a furlong further than the Cheltenham race. And the ground on Saturday was on the soft side of good, which it is unlikely to be come March. Master Minded is probably losing a yard of that brilliant speed he possessed earlier in his career (indeed one idiot on here – me, I think it was – suggested he might be a throwaway bet for the Gold Cup. Suffice it to say, I’ve thrown away that throwaway voucher!). For all that, he retains plenty and, bar the second horse, the remainder were seen off by twenty lengths and more.
The runner-up Somersby is both consistent and frustrating. Consistently frustrating, one might say, if one keeps backing him. Clearly, he has huge talent, as podium positions in five consecutive Grade 1 and 2 contests testify. As a reliable punting proposition, he’s a swerve for me though. I mean, even his trainer doesn’t know what trip he wants and reckons he’s a monkey… sorry, I mean a difficult horse to ride and train.
She, Henrietta Knight – trainer of Best Mate and Edredon Bleu, no less – said, “I was really pleased with him as he is not the easiest horse. We were so sure that we wanted the Ryanair but after today’s performance he showed that he is still able to hold his own at two miles so we might go for the Ryanair next year now.”
In other words, we don’t know what trip he wants and he’s a bloody nightmare to train. That is of course excessively harsh, but where my equine investments are concerned, I’m generally looking for a combination of greater certainty about ideal conditions and a bigger price than the 10/1 which is the best of the bookies’ odds.
Mad Max was third, and well beaten, seemingly without excuses. 40/1 for the Champion Chase is about right, I’d say, though again it wouldn’t tempt me. I can’t see how he could possibly reverse this form, and a place is as good as it can get for this chap.
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