Victor Chandler Chase 19 Jan 2013

[Guest]

*By*Lewis Porteous 1:05PM 2 JAN 2013*

SPRINTER SACRE was the star name among 13 entries for the Grade 1 Victor Chandler Chase revealed on Wednesday but the brilliant Racing Post Arkle winner will not be challenged by his closest rivals in the Champion Chase market.

As short as 2-5 with sponsors sportingbet.com for the Champion Chase in March, Sprinter Sacre's presence seems to have impacted on the initial entries for Ascot's January 19 Grade 1, with Flemenstar, Sizing Europe and Sprinter Sacre's stablemate Finian's Rainbow - all single figure prices for the Champion Chase - missing from the list.
The Paul Nicholls-trained Sanctuaire, third to Sprinter Sacre in the Tingle Creek Chase last month before successful at Kempton over Christmas, again appears to offer the biggest challenge to Caroline Mould's unbeaten chaser.

Somersby, who got the better of a titanic dual with Finian's Rainbow in the race last year, could make his first start for Mick Channon in the 2m1f contest on what would be be his belated seasonal reappearance.

Kumbeshwar, runner-up in the Tingle Creek and second to Sanctuaire at Kempton last Thursday, has again been pitched in against his old rivals.

Despite the absence of Flemenstar and Sizing Europe, Ireland could still be represented courtesy of the Robbie Hennessy-trained Rubi Light and Sizing Europe's stablemate Days Hotel.

William's Wishes, a winner over the Victor Chandler course and distance on his first run for 664 days in November, and the David Pipe-trained duo of Dan Breen and His Excellency also feature.*

[Lester]

http://www.fatjockey.com/festivals/racing_festivals.php?Victor-Chandler-Chase-Ascot-Trends-155

[Lester]

Forecast not looking great : (

[Sefton]

Rubi Light NR

Sanctuaire going to Game Spirit ?

[Old Vic]

Been milder in London area so far than forecast so fingers crossed it goes ahead.

[Statto]

Dunwoody

As the week progresses we could have some more fixture casualties due to the bad weather sweeping the country, but let’s just hope Ascot escapes the worst of it so we can all see the exciting Sprinter Sacre strutting his stuff once again.

He’s the long odds-on favourite for Saturday’s Victor Chandler Chase at the Berkshire track as he continues his preparation towards the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 8 weeks.

The fact that the bookies have priced up a market without Sprinter Sacre tell you everything you need to know about how they rate the chance of Henderson’s superstar this weekend.
*
He’s around 1/6 in the main market, while the horse he thumped in the Tingle Creek, Sanctuaire, is the 11/8 jolly in the ‘without’ market, with last year’s winner, Somersby, next best around 13/8.

Having already won twice at Ascot , albeit over hurdles and in a NH Flat race, then the course should pose no issues for the market leader, but the way he jumps his fences I wouldn’t be worried about him negotiating his way around any course. I’ve said it before, but he’s one of the best I’ve seen in this division for a long time and although as we all know nothing is certain in this game even the 4/9 on offer on him winning the Champion Chase could look a big price come March!

Yes, there will be some punters that will be willing to take him on, most notably with Paul Nicholls’ Sanctuaire, who bounced back to form in a big way when winning the Desert Orchid Chase over Christmas by 13 lengths. He ran a funny race that day as he looked cooked turning for home after making most of the running, but the way he came again was very encouraging and maybe he just needed that first run in the Tingle Creek in early December. I think he’ll give the favourite plenty to think about, as will last year’s winner, Somersby, who is rated very closely to the Nicholls horse, but on their official marks they are still 12 and 14lbs inferior to Nicky’s horse and will both, therefore, need to step up again.

[Sprinter]

Trainer Nicky Henderson has welcomed efforts to restage Saturday's lost big races at alternative courses next weekend.
The exciting Sprinter Sacre was due to have his second outing of the season in the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot, but with Berkshire snowbound, the valuable two-mile event will now be held at Cheltenham's trials meeting on Saturday week.
Sprinter Sacre, who lit up the novice division and won the Arkle Trophy, has been confined to one start this term, in the Tingle Creek at Sandown, and needs match practice before he heads to the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Henderson had Grandouet, another who needs runs under the belt after reappearing from a long absence when second to Zarkandar in the International Hurdle, entered in the StanJames.com Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock.
Talks are under way for the event, which featured a possible clash with Peddlers Cross, to be moved to Doncaster next Saturday.
"I'm pleased the Victor Chandler has moved to Cheltenham as he needs to run, and they are saying that hopefully the Haydock race will be saved as well," said Henderson, who has seen plenty of snow at his Lambourn yard.
"All the horses cantered this morning, the snow wasn't too heavy at the time but it's still coming down and there's more about now.
"I'll have to do a pitch inspection for the rest of the weekend."
The Victor Chandler Chase will be worth £70,000 thanks to a £40,000 contribution from the Horserace Betting Levy Board.
When run as a handicap, the race was held at Prestbury Park in 2005 when it was won through a tremendous weight-carrying effort by Well Chief.
Simon Claisse, Cheltenham's head of racing and clerk of the course, said: "It is obviously disappointing that as a result of the bad weather Ascot has been forced to abandon Saturday's fixture.
"However, we are pleased that the Grade One Victor Chandler Chase has been rescheduled to take place on Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham.
"The race will make a great addition to an already extremely strong card and it is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved that the race has been rearranged promptly to safeguard this important race.
"We would like to thank Victor Chandler and the Levy Board in particular for their support."
The BHA later confirmed the StanJames.com Champion Hurdle Trial will be transferred to Doncaster on 26 January.
New entries must be made by noon on Monday, with declaration time 10am on Friday.

[Sprinter]

I was over at Seven Barrows earlier this week in between riding at Newbury on Wednesday and Lingfield Thursday and I just saw him come by on all-weather with Nico De Boinville.

Nico is virtually the personal test pilot for Sprinter, rides him all the time and knows him inside out and he was absolutely bubbling with him.

I just stood and watched him and you can take it from me that he looked absolutely unbelievable.

Nico said that the boss has backed off him for a couple of weeks and given him an easy time after the Tingle Creek and it’s taken until now to get him back and relaxed.

The horse was just on fire!

[johnno]

Will Hayler

Victor Chandler Chase:

Anything other than an easy victory for Sprinter Sacre is sure to have a dramatic effect upon betting for the Champion Chase. However a straightforward success for him over old foes Sanctuaire and Kumbeshwar may cause barely a ripple. How short can the bookmakers go? Already just 2/5 with Sky Bet, it's hard to see him going less than 1/3 even if he has time for a post-race cigarette by the time the others reach the winning post.

William's Wishes has attracted considerable each-way support against the favourite in the last couple of weeks. His trainer Evan Williams reports that he "would be absolutely amazed" if the horse is good enough to even make the frame in the Champion Chase, but it's not as if William's Wishes hasn't already surprised connections on several occasions already. It will be interesting to see whether he is allowed to take his chance here.

Oiseau De Nuit is still 12lb higher in the weights than when taking the Grand Annual two seasons ago and is caught between a rock and a hard place with the handicapper. That said, he produced an absolute stinker last time out and it will be interesting to see if there are signs of a return to life in this contest, especially if the assessor is prepared to ease his grip.

[Lester]

Donn Mc Clean has gone off Somersby

Amazing the difference another week and a change of venue can make. This time last week, you were thinking that Somersby was a bet at 13/8 to win or come second to Sprinter Sacre in the Victor Chandler Chase. This time this week, you are thinking that the same 13/8 about the same horse in the same market in the re-scheduled race is way too short.

There are two material differences between this week’s race and last week’s race. Firstly and primarily, last week’s race was set to be run at Ascot before the elements intervened. This week’s race – as long as said elements comply – is set to be run at Cheltenham. Ascot is a right-handed galloping track with gradual gradients and with a stiff uphill run from just about the sixth last fence to the winning line. Cheltenham is a left-handed turning with more hills and valleys than a Welsh folk song and where, when you cross the winning line, your feet are higher than your head was 200 yards earlier. The contrast between the two tracks could hardly be more stark.

History tells us that Somersby loves Ascot, always has, but that he might have become indifferent to Cheltenham. His record over fences at Ascot reads 221. Both 2s were behind Master Minded, once when he was sent for home too early in the 2011 Amlin Chase, and once when he went down by a fast-diminishing short head to Paul Nicholls’ star in the 2011 renewal of the Victor Chandler, the pair of them miles clear.

The 1 was in the 2012 renewal of the Victor Chandler, when he battled on tenaciously on the far side to get the better of Finian’s Rainbow, who had done everything right through the race, who had run his race, and who went and won the Champion Chase, no less, on his next run.

Somersby’s record at Cheltenham? Not so great. His record over fences there reads 2357. He has never won at Cheltenham. He did run a cracker on his first run over fences there when he went down by just three parts of a length to Sizing Europe in the 2010 Arkle, but he has struggled to put up a similar performance at the Gloucestershire track since. Third in the Tingle Creek there in 2010, fifth in the 2011 Champion Chase, seventh in the 2012 Ryanair.

It’s not that Somersby doesn’t handle Cheltenham, it’s just that he doesn’t seem to be as happy there as he is at Ascot. Indeed, he doesn’t seem to be as happy anywhere as he is at Ascot. He has recorded the three highest RPRs of his life – 169 each time – in his three runs at Ascot. That can’t be a coincidence.

The other main difference between this week’s race and last week’s race is that William’s Wishes has been added. The originally-scheduled event came up just two weeks after Evan Williams’ horse had won at Sandown. That Sandown race is now three weeks ago, and Williams (the trainer) decided that three weeks was enough time for William’s (the horse, note the apostrophe) to have recovered.

It is unrealistic to think that the son of Oscar can beat Sprinter Sacre – it is unrealistic to think that any horse can beat Sprinter Sacre – but he deserves his place in the Victor Chandler line-up, no question. He does have 14lb to find on official ratings with Sanctuaire, and he has 12lb to find on official ratings with Somersby, but he is highly progressive, and it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that he will at least close that gap.

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

Looking forward to this ..might put Willams wishes in a forecast for an interest

[Statto]

Paul Moloney has only ever finished out of the first three once on William’s Wishes, winning on him seven times. William's Wishes runs in the Victor Chandler Chase.