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2015 Melling Chase

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  • 2015 Melling Chase

    Melling Chase Odds table



    Cue Card back for this ?

    Uxizandre is lined up...

    UXIZANDRE, who gave retiring champion jockey Tony McCoy his final Cheltenham Festival winner last week, is likely to head to Aintree where he will bid for more Grade 1 glory in the Melling Chase.

    The JP McManus-owned seven-year-old has form at the Grand National meeting having landed the Manifesto Novices' Chase last season and is poised for a return following his front-running Ryanair Chase success at Cheltenham.

    Trainer Alan King says Uxizandre is in good shape, but ruled out running him at Punchestown's big end-of-term meeting.

    "He usually takes his racing very well and is no different now - he's very pleased with himself," King wrote in his Racing Post Weekender column on Wednesday.

    "We have four weeks, so I see no reason why he couldn't go to Aintree for the Melling Chase if JP McManus is keen - Punchestown is obviously out as he has to go left-handed."
    Last edited by Old Vic; 29 March 2015, 10:15 AM.

  • #2
    Simply Ned could tackle two and a half miles for the first time over fences at a course where he took second place in the Grade One Maghull Novices' Chase last spring.

    "He ran a good, solid race in the Queen Mother. He hit the fourth-last and just got shuffled back a bit from there," said Richards.

    "If he runs at Aintree it will be in the two-and-a-half-mile chase, the Melling. That's his race and our thinking at the moment. There's a two-mile chase at Ayr, a handicap, but I wouldn't have thought he'd go for that."

    Comment


    • #3
      Don Cossack and SDG probably running. Special Tiara won here as Novice and would expect him too. Could be a tasty little race.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by Morning Glory View Post
        Don Cossack and SDG probably running. Special Tiara won here as Novice and would expect him too. Could be a tasty little race.
        I'm starting to think Don Cossack doesn't like travelling over to the UK or maybe the bigger fields don't suit.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Bobsworth View Post
          I'm starting to think Don Cossack doesn't like travelling over to the UK or maybe the bigger fields don't suit.
          I think the mistake two out did for him. Hats off to AP for a good ride on Uxizandre - got them all it and put jumping under pressure in behind.

          Comment


          • #6
            Mullins

            "Champagne Fever will go for the Melling, Boston Bob might go for that or he could for the Bowl. On His Own could go for the Bowl as well.

            Comment


            • #7
              Cue Card

              After riding Cue Card in his work on Monday morning, assistant trainer Joe Tizzard said: "He is in really good form and goes for the Melling Chase where he will be a fresh horse having missed Cheltenham.

              "It has been a frustrating time but he is fine now and Daryl Jacob is coming down to school him tomorro

              Comment


              • #8
                Bit of a move for Champagne Fever.

                Comment


                • #9
                  stats

                  First run in 1991, only two winners bypassed the Cheltenham Festival specifically for this prize, Blazing Walker in the inaugural running and the Irish-trained mare, Opera Hat, in 1998. For all the high-class racing at this three-day meeting, this is the race that the purists look forward to most boasting a Roll of Honour that is the who’s who of 2m-2m4f chasers since its inception including ten individual winners of the Queen Mother Champion Chase. The last winner not to have won a Grade 1 race earlier in their career was Fadalko during the Foot-and-Mouth ravaged spring of 2001. In fact, ten of the last 12 winners had won a Grade 1 race earlier in the same season.

                  The last 12 winners ran in either the Champion Chase or Ryanair, the latter-named race featured five winners in its first ten runnings whereas 12 of the last 20 winners posted a top-three finish in the Champion Chase. For two of the last three seasons it has been the Champion Chase winner that has doubled up here. Prior to the introduction into the Racing Calendar of the Ryanair in 2005, it was the Champion Chase all the way even it meant horses stepping up half a mile as the only two-mile chases at the meeting were either for novices or handicappers. The overall record of Champion Chase winners reads 211141F31211 but also note the runner-up at Cheltenham, Somersby this year, as their record of 322142111P212 is almost as good.

                  I did fear a little for the quality of the Melling Chase when it was announced that the Ryanair Chase would debut at the Cheltenham Festival in 2005 believing that the race at Prestbury Park would take over as the pre-eminent chase of an intermediate distance but the Melling Chase has retained that quality. Since the Ryanair has been upgraded to Grade 1 status in 2008, that 2m5f event at Cheltenham has had a stronger bearing on the Melling Chase featuring four winners though only Albertas Run has completed the double.

                  An impressive 17 of the 24 Melling Chase winners had won or placed at this three-day fixture before.

                  Top of the shop outside of the Cheltenham Festival has been the Tingle Creek Chase having featured nine of the last 19 winners but Ascot form has also come to the fore recently. For example, three of the last eight winners either won or finished second in the Ascot Chase back in February won this season by Balder Succes, three of the last four winners contested the Clarence House Chase over 2m miles finishing 121 and Albertas Run and Master Minded both completed the Amlin 1965 Chase-Melling Chase double up in the last five years won this season by Al Ferof. As far as three-mile form is concerned, only the King George VI Chase has mattered and four of the last 12 Melling Chase winners were beaten at Kempton.

                  An impressive 17 of the 24 Melling Chase winners had won or placed at this three-day fixture before. Five of those 17 winners were successfully defending their Melling Chase title but Boston Bob may head for the Grand National or Bowl instead. However, no horse beaten in the 24 runnings of the previous season’s Melling Chase has gone on to win it a year later. His victory was another for the Irish who won it five years in succession before Monet’s Garden broke the sequence eight seasons ago.

                  Many punters take the view that it is easier to stay longer distance at flat courses like Aintree and Kempton but I take the opposite view as there is rarely any respite in the gallop at courses like these so horses have to stay very well to win. Of the 24 winners, all but six had not won over 2m4f or further beforehand.

                  Front runners have an excellent record in other chase races on the Mildmay Course at this meeting so it is with some surprise to note that no Melling Chase winner has ever made all the running in its 24 years. During the last 20 runnings, the favourite or second-favourite has collected on 14 occasions but nothing of real note on the age front.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Of the last 25 placed runners during the last seven years…

                    16 won 31% or more of their career chases (16-35); others were 3-26
                    13 were officially rated 165 or higher (13-19); those rated lower were 6-42
                    13 finished 1st or 2nd LTO (13-22); those 3rd or worse were 6-39
                    Jonjo O’Neill had 3-3 placed, A King was 2-3; P Nicholls was 3-8

                    Placed runners breakdown of odds:
                    9/4 or shorter: 4-4
                    5/2 to 8/1: 13-23
                    17/2 or bigger: 2-34
                    Favourites & joint place record: 6-7

                    Top tip: Stick with classy runners officially rated 165 or higher.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      A setback suffered after Cheltenham means the Ryanair Chase winner will not run again this season.

                      The Alan King-trained seven-year-old brought the house down last month when making all for a famous success in the hands of Tony McCoy - a final Festival winner for the soon-to-retire champion.

                      Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus, said: "He had a setback after Cheltenham, so he won't be running in Liverpool and he's finished for the season.

                      "Hopefully we will have him back for the autumn."

                      Sire De Grugy is the star turn in the Grade One event as he could step up to two and a half miles for the first time.

                      The former Champion Chase hero was fourth in this year's renewal of the Cheltenham feature after an interrupted campaign and will have a new jockey following the broken leg suffered by regular pilot Jamie Moore.

                      Moore's brother Josh will take over on the nine-year-old, trained by his father, Gary.

                      Leading the opposition is the Colin Tizzard-trained Cue Card, who will be having his first run since finishing fifth in the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day.

                      Nicky Richards' Simply Ned was one place behind Sire De Grugy at Cheltenham and tries again, while God's Own, who gave Un De Sceaux a fright in the Arkle, and Al Ferof also look players.

                      Gordon Elliott's Ryanair third Don Cossack spearheads the Irish challenge together with Willie Mullins' Champagne Fever.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY OR
                        11-U14 Sire De Grugy30 9 11-10 Gary Moore Joshua Moore 169
                        325-13 Al Ferof105 10 11-10 Paul Nicholls Sam Twiston-Davies 168
                        411113 Don Cossack29 t 8 11-10 Gordon Elliott A P McCoy 166
                        131PP Wishfull Thinking29 t 12 11-10 Philip Hobbs Richard Johnson 164
                        242117 Balder Succes29 7 11-10 Alan King Wayne Hutchinson 163
                        12-445 Cue Card105 9 11-10 Colin Tizzard Daryl Jacob 163
                        614F1 Champagne Fever55 8 11-10 W P Mullins R Walsh 162
                        0-1265 Johns Spirit29 8 11-10 Jonjo OŽNeill Richie McLernon 159
                        2-1235 Simply Ned30 8 11-10 Nicky Richards Brian Harding 158
                        336133 Croco Bay28 8 11-10 Ben Case Kielan Woods 151
                        Last edited by Old Vic; 8 April 2015, 11:06 AM.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          not a bad turnout - case can be made for 8/9 in my opinion.



                          Melling Chase Winner Profile

                          Looking at the profile of the winners we will narrow the field based on :

                          Age: 7 of the last 10 winners were aged between 8 and 10.

                          Starting Price: 4 favourites have won with first two in the market having a good record.

                          Winners Market Position: 1 8 2 2 1 5 3 1 1 3

                          Previous Renewal : As the table shows several horses have had multiple wins. No horse beaten in the race has won it a year later.

                          Previous Race/Form: 21 of the last 24 winners had previously won a Grade 1 race. Just 4 of the last 10 won last time out. 5 of the last 9 winners have ran in the Ryanair Chase.

                          Aintree Form: 16 of the 23 winners had previously won or placed at the meeting.

                          Jockey: Barry Geraghty has ridden 4 of the last 11 winners

                          Rating: 6/7 winners rated 168+
                          Last edited by Old Vic; 8 April 2015, 11:10 AM.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            This race looks like a who's who of Cheltenham flops and injury comebacks, anything could happen with no surprises regardless of who wins.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by MrMcGoldrick View Post
                              This race looks like a who's who of Cheltenham flops and injury comebacks, anything could happen with no surprises regardless of who wins.
                              Champagne Fever only LTO winner in the field.

                              Comment

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