Those who emerged from the wreckage of Dunguib, and four other losing favourites, at Cheltenham yesterday have sent out an urgent SOS signal.
In this case the plea stands for "short odds salvation" and the call has been delivered to the two men who have delivered most often in recent Festivals.
Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh have become one of the most potent smash-and-grab partnerships since Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with a 30% overall strike-rate in the last five seasons, and they are the ones to rescue backers with Master Minded in the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Two years ago an imperious 18-length victory by Master Minded, minded some experts to regard it as the best performance by a two-mile chaser at Cheltenham since the days of Flyingbolt, but last season Master Minded appeared more laboured – although he still managed to win by seven lengths.
The prospects of becoming only the second horse, 25 years after Badsworth Boy, to win the Champion Chase three times looked diminished with the discovery of a rib injury following a lacklustre run at Cheltenham in November.
However, it was the prospects for those who would take on Master Minded that looked less promising after the reigning champion won the totepool Game Spirit Chase at Newbury last month by 13 lengths. It could have been 20 lengths but for a yes-no-perhaps-maybe moment when Walsh asked a question, Master Minded pondered the inquiry and was then somewhat rudely interrupted by the last fence which did move one smart Alec to inquire "are you Kauto Star in disguise?"
However, it did show that the rib injury that had threatened to scupper Master Minded's season could be forgotten. Nicholls said afterwards: “He needed to come back and that was more like his old self. Tanking along, jumping brilliantly - bar the last – and Ruby blamed himself really. I sometimes wonder why horses make mistakes like that?”
Probably to keep the rest of guessing but the only question here is who will finish second and, given the poor Cheltenham record of Twist Magic, Kalahari King gets the vote.
Such is the current embarrassment of riches at the Nicholls yard that it seems surprising that he does not have a runner in the RSA Chase. But the race is not lacking in quality, which is provided by the Nicky Henderson pair, Long Run and Punchestowns. The two have dominated the market for weeks but Punchestowns lost his position as favourite to his stable companion after news of an injury scare. Clearly it has not been an ideal preparation for Punchestowns but Henderson would not be running if he were less than satisfied with the horse's wellbeing.
The track is drying out, which will suit probably Punchestowns more than Long Run who has also looked a little sketchy in some of his jumping in his two races for Henderson since arriving from France this season.
By comparison to the RSA, the National Hunt Chase may lack a little in quality but certainly looks a competitive 140th renewal. Donald McCain has already made an impact on recent Festivals with two winners and he can add to that with a double today. Fabalu took two runs over fences to really get his act together but he looked a decent prospect when winning by 11 lengths at Bangor last month. His form has been on softer ground than he will encounter here but his jumping looked solid enough and he is likely to be staying on over this four-mile marathon when others are wilting.
McCain can also win the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle with Peddlers Cross. McCain’s owners parted with £100,000 for Peddlers’ Cross, on the evidence of winning an Irish point-to-point, but his three wins over hurdles suggest that the money has not been wasted. This is a step up in distance but his last run at Haydock, where he beat to 130-rated runners with ease, suggests that he has the class and the stamina to cope.
Having finally ended the famine of Festival, with the victory of Menorah in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Philip Hobbs may be ready to savour a feast with Wishfull Thinking in the Coral Cup.
A strike-rate of 28% for March proves that the Hobbs yard has hit form at just the right time and the trainer may have been similarly opportune in when to introduce Wishfull Thinking to handicap company.
He has won all three starts in novice hurdles by an aggregate distance of 33 lengths, does not look harshly handicapped, his jockey can claim a useful 5lbs and he will clearly give the rest of the field plenty to think about.
Tags: