Sprinter Sacre eying victory over Sanctuaire in Tingle Creek Chase
Sprinter Sacre has set his eyes on the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 8, 2012.
Although, he is the clear favourite to win the race, he will have to weather the storm form someone like Sanctuaire, who has also prepared well for the Grade 1 encounter, worth a cash prize of £68,340.
Paul Nicholls, who has trained Sanctuaire, was confident that his challenger will cause a lot of problems for the race favourite at Sandown. He is well aware of the fact that things will not be easy, but said that anything can happen at the end of the day.
According to the veteran trainer, “We are very happy with him (Sanctuaire). He's fit and well but it's a tough challenge. I have no idea how good he is. We can't tell until they run but it's a bit like Silviniaco Conti when he ran in the Charlie Hall.”
“All our second-season horses have improved and if he has, he has a chance,” he added, while acknowledging “it's going to be a challenge to beat Sprinter Sacre.”
A total of seven stallions have been attracted towards the class-1 contest at Sandown, but the real showdown will be between the two French geldings.
Both of them have been delivering some terrific results for their respective teams, as they have never been beaten while chasing. They are well aware of how to tackle pressure at the highest level and the spectators will definitely be looking forward to
a thrilling competition.
However, Sprinter Sacre has got a phenomenal winning percentage and he does not make a lot of mistakes. He has appeared in five chase events, winning all of them and will be looking forward to keep his cent percent record.
The Nicky Henderson’s trainee might have a few problems with the track conditions though, as there has been a lot of rain at Sandown. This has made the ground soft, which will be a test for most of the runners.
However, the clerk of the course, Andrew Cooper, believes that there will be no issues with the track conditions, as the weather will improve with the passage of time.
If that happens, Sanctuaire will definitely have to produce his best effort to cause an upset in the all important competition.
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