Poquelin set to go for Ryanair Chase straight
Fresh from his second position on last Saturday’s Murphy Group Chase, Poquelin is now all ready to participate in the Ryanair Chase which is scheduled to be held on March 15 at Cheltenham track.
The veteran black horse will run against 37 competitors over a marathon distance of 2 miles and 5 furlongs. The race will begin at 2:40 on Thursday.
Poquelin notched up second and fourth positions, respectively in the last two editions of Ryanair Chase. This time, he is a 20 to 1 favourite along with Paddy Power to grab the top spot.
The horse’s trainer, Paul Nicholls, is sure that his trainee will bring home the ace title on March 15. Therefore, he has decided to put him on rest until the mega clash.
The horseracing experts opine that Poquelin’s outstanding performance on January 28 was a prelude of his bright future, and the dashing runner is likely to do well in Ryanair event as well.
While speaking to the media, Nicholls said, “He ran a great race. He'd been ill since his run at Cheltenham over Christmas and we needed to get a run into him and it will be straight to the Ryanair Chase now.”
He added, “He falls a bit short of top class but he's run well in the Ryanair in the past and I feel we're better running him in that than a handicap."
Foaled in March 2003, the nine-year-old horse has won 10 out of his 39 starts so far. These ten victories include 1 Flat Turf, 3 Hurdle and 6 Chase. His total earnings to date are £463,454. Bred by Georges Sandor And Eric Becq, Poquelin is owned by
The Stewart Family.
The Ryanair Chase is going to be an acid test of the horse’s capabilities. If he sustains his momentum and turns in his best, he will definitely walk away with a glorious triumph. However, the event will not be a cake walk, as Poquelin will have to
fight against some of the experienced and talented horses that the event reeled in.
Nicholls is investing a lot of time on training Poquelin, and the bookmakers are also betting on him heavily.
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