Champion Chase - Winner

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is the feature race on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival and the complexion of the ante-post market is sure to be a lot clearer as to who will start favourite for the big one in March after the Clarence House Chase has concluded on January 21st at Ascot.

Defending Champion Chase hero Energumene and Tingle Creek winner Edwardstone will go head-to-head at the Berkshire venue and if the pair can provide an epic battle like Energumene and Shishkin did 12 months ago, we are in for a real treat.

Champion Chase 2023 Ante-Post Preview

Energumene a solid favourite

Whilst Shishkin returned a beaten favourite when pulled up in the race last year, the Willie Mullins-trained Energumene made the most of the opportunity handed to him, as a change of hold-up tactics worked a treat as the eight-year-old went on to beat his six rivals by eight-and-a-half lengths, handing Willie Mullins a first win the race that had deserted him in previous years.

He then went and beat Chacun Pour Soi by that same distance when signing off an excellent campaign in the William Hill Champion Chase, which confirmed he is the new kid on the block and the best of the two-mile chasers that season. His awaited return came in the Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase and he strolled to a 15-length success from the front.

On the back of that impressive display, firms cut him into 4/5 from 5/4 ahead of his defence in the Champion Chase. He is a magnificent horse, whose jumping at speed is electric plus he is a strong-traveller, who is versatile in regards to tactics.

Moreover, he has won seven off his eight starts over fences with his only defeat coming in the Clarence House last term when marginally denied by Shishkin and is now as short as 8/11.

The only issue would be if the ground came up good, as all of his form has been on yielding to soft or worse and it’s possible it won’t materialise into a bog again but I have an incline he will cope with the better ground, as he has all the class you need in a brilliant two-mile chaser and has not put a foot wrong over fences. With the prospect of even more to come this term, it is going to be very difficult to see him beaten in March. He is a worthy favourite.

Greaneteen and Nube Nebra might struggle

Greaneteen and Nube Negra, who are available at 25/1 & 33/1 respectively, are both good horses in their own right as the pair were fourth and second in the 2021 renewal of the Champion Chase too but the former, trained by Paul Nicholls, was well-held by Edwardstone when second in the Tingle Creek last time, so will do well to reverse the form in March, whereas Dan Skelton’s charge was stuffed by Editeur Du Gite at Kempton last time and needs to rediscover his best form.

That latest form doesn’t look good enough to win this, even if he was conceding fitness to the winner, plus I think the latter has regressed slightly since his Champion Chase second two years ago, so another career-best would undoubtedly be needed to go one better and that looks unlikely in my opinion. I think they might struggle in this year’s edition of the race in March and it would come as somewhat of a surprise if either of these were able to beat Edwardstone and Energumene. Not for me unfortunately.

Editeur Du Gite could make the frame

Gary Moore win this back in 2014 with Sire De Grugy and is likely to rely on Editeur Du Gite to fly the flag for the stable this time around, who returned a 13-length winner in the Desert Orchid over Christmas and is quoted by firms at 20/1, generally.

That race, however, did fall apart and he would do well to be able to dominate this field and produce another career-best performance which is needed. He will probably go well for a long way but he doesn’t look capable of beating proven Cheltenham Festival winners in Grade 1 company, though he could easily finish in the first five if able to jump and travel as well as he can do.

He also boasts a record of 1143 at the course, with his only two defeats coming when carrying big weights, so it’s possible this race will suit him better then the race he won at Kempton last time. He could be the each-way value of those at large odds in the race but he isn’t the sort of horse I want to be backing in a race of this calibre.

Can the best of the British Edwardstone dethrone Energumene

Edwardstone has been remarkable since going chasing, ever since being bought down on his chase debut at Warwick, in which Alan King’s charge won five on the bounce, including the Arkle at last season’s Cheltenham Festival and gained has a good chance if able to produce his best at this year’s meeting in a few months time.

He was turned over at Aintree in the Maghull Novices' Chase when second but after being thwarted in attempts to run at Cheltenham and Ascot, he displayed a high-class performance when sauntering to success in the Tingle Creek on his reappearance that earned him second-favourite for the big one in March.

He was then expected to justify favouritism in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton but made an uncharacteristic mistake early on and unshipped Tom Cannon. Obviously that isn’t ideal but that doesn’t make him any less of a horse, as he’s clearly high-class and the best of the British in the two-mile senior chase division.

He is due to clash with Energumene in the Clarence House Chase at the end of the month and whoever takes the spoils, will definitely start favourite for the Champion Chase. He has the Cheltenham form in his book, so if the ground comes up good in March, he might be able to provide the biggest threat to Energumene.

Third time lucky for Chacun Pour Soi?

His record outside of Ireland is abysmal but even so, don’t be put off by the odds about Chacun Pour Soi, who can be found in the ante-post books at 25/1 (20/1 NRNB Hills) for the Champion Chase. He was beaten by Blue Lord at Leopardstown over Christmas on his return but he was going strongly and looked as though he was about to hit top-gear when he decided to take the second last fence by the route which ended his chance.

That costly-error immediately set him on the back-foot as he dropped towards the rear of the field but did briefly manage to get himself back into contention before those excursions of using up the petrol to do so saw him only trail home in third place. Whilst he failed to justify favouritism, the bookmakers pushed his odds out for the Champion Chase, but that doesn’t put me off or diminish the interest I have for him again here.

Let’s not forget, he was travelling beautifully before getting rid of Patrick Mullins in the Champion Chase last year when sent off just a single-figure price, 8/1, and I am adamant he would have finished in the first two or three without mishap. He still remains a class act on his day and still boasts a rating of 167, so I am happy to draw a line through his latest return and is better judged on his best form.

According to Racingpost’s RPR, he still sits second behind the favourite (182) at 180 plus he is a six-time Grade 1 winner, which is more than what most of the remainder, barring the top three in betting, have achieved. So why is he such a big price? I am not sure, as surely If he put in a clear round of jumping, he would surely be more than capable of at least making the frame, even if Cheltenham isn’t his track.

If it wasn’t for that bad mistake last time, he wouldn’t be such large-odds for this race. It’s for that reason which reflects his odds, so while connections have the option of going for the Ryanair Chase with him, I think he is worth one more shot at this two-mile event.

His record in the UK doesn’t define his natural ability, class and what he has achieved on home soil, so at double-figure odds, he must be backed, each-way, with the NRNB applied.

Blue Lord not be taken lightly

Willie Mullins could also be represented by Blue Lord, who is already a three-time Grade 1 winner over fences and showcased his class in the Grade 1 Paddy's Rewards Club Chase under Daryl Jacob last time, winning by 11 lengths.

Despite winning this, he still isn’t the highest ranking in either of the two shorter chasing divisions within his own stable and has work to do to reverse last season’s Arkle form with Edwardstone who beat him comfortably on the day. His jumping is his biggest asset though and he travels well, so there is every inclination he is a better horse than last season and that looked the case last time.

He seems versatile regarding distance, having won over 2m4f in the Grade Two Clonmel Oil Chase when beating last season’s King George winner Tornado Flyer. so he could have the option of the Ryanair Chase, in which he’s 6/1 for that race as well as the Champion Chase. I think he will go for the latter race though but I’m not convinced Cheltenham is his track and he’ll do well to beat stablemate Energumene.

Champion Chase 2023 Ante-Post Tips

Energumene and Edwardstone will probably have the Champion Chase between themselves if able to produce their best, especially if they finish first and second in the Clarence House Chase later this month.

Both are proven Cheltenham Festival winners and their ceiling of ability hasn’t yet reached given they are both open to further improvement.

It is difficult to split the pair but slight preference would be for Energumene, given he’s done nothing wrong over fences but I can’t tip him at 8/11 as my job isn’t to pick a short-priced favourite for a Grade 1 event. If he drifts out slightly nearer the race, I’ll definitely tip him though. I think he is a solid favourite.

With this in mind, and looking slightly left-field, I will take one more chance on his stablemate CHACUN POUR SOI (best price 25/1 NRNB with Hills). Yes, he was beaten by the former at Punchestown, has failed in this race twice previously and was behind Blue Lord when last spotted.

However, when you take into account he has the second-highest RPR in the race (overall) and has six Grade 1 wins to his name, I just cannot understand why he is the same price as the likes of Editeur Du Gite and a few others who haven’t won a Grade 1 let alone six of them.

There’s a strong possibility he will line-up in the Ryanair Chase this year but with the NRNB on offer, he is worth an each-way play at the odds in case he does or doesn’t feature here as I can’t see him beating this big of a price if he does line-up.

Chacun Pour Soi - 0.5 pts - E/W   20/1 (NRNB with Hills)