Sprinter Sacre favourite for the Game Spirit Chase
Sprinter Sacre has been given a general 5 to 4 starting price for the Game Spirit Chase at Newbury in England on Saturday, February 11, 2012. However, the event remains under threat due to freezing temperatures throughout the country.
Overall, eight entries have been confirmed for the event at Newbury. Last year’s winner, French Opera, is also likely to be a part of the chase, but his participation has not yet been finalised by trainer, Nicky Henderson.
The veteran trainer has already confirmed the participation of, Sprinter Sacre, in the event and will inspect the track before giving a green signal to his second runner.
According to Henderson, “French Opera is desperate for a run but doesn't really like soft ground so I'll be having a look at the track tomorrow. If the ground is okay he'll join Sprinter Sacre, but I've also put him in one of those jumpers' bumpers
at Kempton on Friday.”
Sprinter Sacre has relished Chase races, as he has a 100 percent record in them. He has entered two so far, and emerged victorious in both. This gives him a very solid chance of doing well in the Saturday’s race.
The six-year-old horse will face fierce competition from French Opera, who has plenty of experience in chase racing. He has taken part in 14 events, winning six of them. Other than that, he has also finished runner up thrice, and finished third once.
There have been only four occasions where the nine-year-old horse failed to finish in the top three. Therefore, he can definitely make a solid impression in the Game Spirit Chase.
However, one important factor will be the weather conditions in Newbury, which need to improve over the next few days, for the event to unfold smoothly.
Richard Osgood, clerk of the course claimed, “We are okay at the moment but we are going to have another frost tonight and it could be our worst, possibly down to -4 or -5. On Wednesday night they are predicting -2, but then on Thursday night zero
and on Friday night +1.”
He went onto say that the daytime temperatures are likely to be warmer, which will help the track conditions to improve. However, no final decision can be taken as yet, as there are still a couple of days to go before the Game Spirit Chase.
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