2018 Queen Mother Champion Chase Fancies

The Cheltenham Festival is closing faster than a speeding horse.

The venue: Prestbury Park, Gloucester. Jot down these dates 13th - 16th March because you really don't want to miss out.

The Queen Mother Champion Chase takes place on the 14^th March.

3:30 Cheltenham -

This two mile Grade 1 Chase is run on the old course featuring twelve jumps. It has a history which puts it on a par with the best racing in the world. This National Hunt steeplechase is open to horses ages five years and older.

Inaugurated in 1959, Quita Que, a ten-year-old horse, ridden by Bunny Cox, showed the way.

One of the most outstanding horses to have won this race on no less that three occasions is Badsworth Boy taking victory in consecutive years from 1983 – 1985.

Recent winners that may bring fond memories include:

2014 Sire de Grugy

2015 Dodging Bullets

2016 Sprinter Sacre

2017 Special Tiara

2018 Queen Mother Champion Chase

At the time of writing, 21 horses are entered to run. However, if we are looking at the betting we may be forgiven to thinking this is a one-horse race.

Altior is an exceptional talent for trainer Nicky Henderson. This eight-year-old bay gelding has race 15 times and defeated twice. This Irish-bred son of High Chaparral has started favourite 13 times and achieved total prize earnings of almost £400,000. It's no wonder this wonder horse is priced 8/11f. After winning at odds of 1/3f when winning ''comfortably'' at Newbury in February, bookmakers are willing to push their luck too far with this May foal. With Henderson primed to have a superb meeting, this gelding will be one for the big players. For those looking to get in on the action for 2018 Cheltenham betting odds and offers there is value in every race. In truth, Altior looks a great bet at 8/11 and if the bookmakers push this out on the day it would be a steal - anything near 1/1 is a bet.

One trainer who may try to spoil the party is Willie Mullins. Readers will be quick to note that he has no record in this race at all. Looking at the previous winners his name is missing. Could this be his year?

The bookmakers' prices illustrate a couple of live contenders.

Min has been backed to odds of 3/1. This seven-year-old gelding, a son of Walk In The Park, has started favourite since joining Mullins, racing in the familiar silks of Mrs S Ricci. He won well on his latest victory at Leopardstown.

Mrs Ricci fields another horse which leads little introduction – Douvan. This eight-year-old bay gelding has raced 16 times and proven victorious 14. Losses bookend his career with being runner-up on debut and a truly disappointing display last time out last year at Cheltenham in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. That day, the 2/9f led but found to be lame finishing 7^th. It will be interesting to see how this once untouchable gelding fares this year.

Other fancies as far as the betting considers include:

Fox Norton, trained by Colin Tizzard. This eight-year-old gelding pulled up on his last start and priced 12/1 with leading bookmakers.

Great Field, another charge from Willie Mullins. A winner on his last four starts, hasn't been seen for the best part of a year. Betting odds of 12/1 suggest he is the third string racing in the famous silks of J P McManus.

The betting: Altior 8/11, Min 100/30, Douvan 5/1, Politologue 10/1, Fox Norton 12/1, Un Des Sceaux 12/1, Great Field 14/1, Special Tiara 16/1, York Hill 16/1, Top Notch 20/1, 25/1 Bar.

Top Tips for the Festival

March is the one month that all horseracing lovers look forward to and it's simply because the Cheltenham Festival roars into life yet again.

We are just a few weeks away from the Festival, but the hype has already reached dizzy heights from all over the world. From the first day to the last, there will be some interesting highlight races most punters are looking forward to. As such, we share with you some festival tips on which horses we think are the main action to finish in the revered first positions.

Day 1 (National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup)

The highlight race of Day 1 is the National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup. The biggest draw to this event is that it is considered an unpredictable and tough one; featuring amateur riders and novice chasers. Therefore, historical data does not really come in handy during the race. Nonetheless, over the years the race has provided great entertainment and the same is expected this year. This year’s National Hunt is slightly different from previous races in that it features one jockey who had remarkable success over the past 3 years. Gordon Elliot won two of the last three National Hunt races and features again for the fourth time. This year, he will ride Sutton Place. Sutton finished 2017 strongly winning his last five races in a row and with Gordon Elliot, he comes with a tried and tested jockey as the favourite before the race.

Day 2 (Queen Mother Champion Chase)

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is one of the most anticipated races of the Festival. Its popularity is evidenced by the fact that race bets are placed as early as the early to mid-December when the Ladbrokes Winter Carnival closes. There are two headliners for this event this year, Altior and Douvan. Both of them have not entered into any race this year, but will go into the Festival in good shape. Douvan injured himself in this same race last year at the Festival, only returning to action towards the end of the year. He did put in a great shift while Altior swept almost everything in front of him capping it off by winning impressively the Arkle. The rivalry between these two will be one to watch.

Day 3 (JLT Novices Chase)

On the opening race on Day 3, the JLT Novices Chase is the one to look out for. The race is in some sorts is similar to the National Hunt in that it features novice chasers, is relatively longer (though shorter in comparison to the National Hunt) and traditionally features amateur riders. However, even though dominated by first-timers, it provides top-class entertainment. The favourite for the race is Benatar boasting a flawless record to date with 3 wins in 3 races. Going into the Festival, Benatar looks to maintain his record along with Gary Moore; a jockey who has what it takes to succeed at the highest level.

Day 4 (Cheltenham Gold Cup)

The Gold Cup is the biggest of all races and all eyes will be focused on this year's event. As the norm, classy lists of horses look forward to winning the prestigious Timico Gold Cup and last year’s winner Sizing John is this year’s hot favourite. After scooping the big prize last year, Sizing John has all the right moves where he managed to finish in the ‘Show’ places in all of his races. The momentum is definitely on Sizing John’s side, but he faces some stiff competition from Native River, Might Bite, and Djakadam.

3:30 Cheltenham Festival (16th March) 2016: Queen Mother Champion Chase (Grade 1)

Ten horses declared for this Chase over 1m 7f 99y on good to soft going. The inaugural race was won in 1959 by Quita Que, ridden by Bunny Cox and trained by Dan Moore. 

The most successful horse to win this race three times was Badsworth Boy (1983 - 85). 

Jockeys Pat Taaffe & Barry Geraghty have won this race five times, while Tom Dreaper is the most successful trainer with six wins.  

The betting suggests this is a two horse race with Un De Sceaux and Sprinter Sacre battling for Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson, respectively. 

Dodging Bullets won this race last year against a few old adversaries Sprinter Sacre, who pulled up, Somersby, Special Tiara & Sire De Grugy.  

Un De Sceaux could well be sent off an odds on shot. This eight-year-old bay gelding, a French son of Denham Red is an exceptional horse. Sixteen runs have seen him triumphant fourteen time, falling twice, when pretty much guaranteed to win. He has run once at Cheltenham when quickening clear in the Racing post Arkle Challenge Trophy. With prize winning over £400,000 Mullins' charge must take some beating. 

Sprinter Sacre needs little introduction and a truly inspiring horse at best. This ten-year-old is trained by Nicky Henderson, racing in the silks of Mrs Caroline Mould. 

No stranger to Cheltenham, this gelding, a son of Network (GR), has won the Supreme Novices' Hurdle (2011) & Arkle Challenge Trophy (2012). He has mixed fortunes in the Queen Mother Champion Chase winning in 2013. However, he was pulled up last year when things started to fall apart. Sprinter Scare has shown he is enjoying his racing this season with two comfortable wins and plenty of supporters will be excited by the potential dual. 

I would have to favour Un De Sceaux to win but at 5/1 Sprinter Sacre could well be a fair each way bet.     

Sacre confirms dominance of two-mile chase division

As anyone who has followed horse racing for any length of time knows perfectly well that there is no such thing as a certainty in this highly unpredictable and thrilling sport.

But at this stage there will be very few people who bet on racing prepared to go against the majestic Sprinter Sacre after the champion-elect put up another awesome performance at Cheltenham recently to strengthen his stranglehold on the ante-post market for the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the March 13 showcase event having appeared to a great degree to have been conceded by many in the sport to him with fully six weeks to go before the big race itself.

Of course there is no certainty that Sprinter Sacre will even make the starting line-up as even the best of athletes are vulnerable to last-minute hitches and unexpected injuries. If he arrives at the Festival though in top order it is hard to see anything getting within shouting distance of the horse that a growing number of seasoned observers suggest could be the best at the distance in more than a generation.

The current top-priced 2/5 ante-post favourite in the Cheltenham betting odds glided around Prestbury Park on January 26 as if he was out for morning exercise, Nicky Henderson’s imposing seven-year-old oozing class as he tracked the leaders before coasting through to take up the running before the seventh fence. From then on it was very much a case of who would be second – for the record, Mad Moose achieved the feat some 14 lengths behind the winner – as Barry Geraghty’s mount drew clear from the third last to win the Grade 1 Victor Chandler Chase in simply stunning fashion.

Unbeaten in all seven starts over fences and the winner of 11 of his 13 career outings, it can honestly be said that the gelded son of Network has never really had a serious race over the larger obstacles and has never won by less than six lengths. His last defeat came when third to Al Ferof in the 2011 Stan James Supreme Novices Hurdle, but since switching to chasing his only real dangers have been the fences themselves.

His stable companion and current champion chaser Finian’s Rainbow has barely warranted a mention in the build-up to the big race, but the fine performer (currently a 10/1 shot) could easily give Henderson a famous one-two in a race he also won in style some years back with the hugely popular Remittance Man.