Cheltenham Festival 2015: Sprinter Sacre top on Timeform
TIMEFORM have Sprinter Sacre top-rated for the Queen Mother Champion Chase (3.20), today’s feature race.
Timeform are keen on Sprinter Sacre
The French ‘AQPS’ – non-thoroughbred – earned the highest Timeform rating over jumps since the days of Arkle when winning the Champion Chase by 19 lengths from Sizing Europe back in 2013.
Nicky Henderson’s stable star was pulled up with an irregular heartbeat on his sole outing the following season and he did not make the track again until this January.
He ran an encouraging race in defeat, though, as he chased home Dodging Bullets in the Clarence House at Ascot.
Timeform’s main man, Jamie Lynch said: “There were sufficient positives in Sprinter Sacre’s comeback for us to think that he can win this week’s big race.
“His weight-adjusted rating of 186 is still some 17lb under the figure he achieved at the height of his powers but good enough to have him at the top.
“The physical issues he’s had complicate matters, but to focus on his finish at Ascot is to underestimate how well Sprinter Sacre shaped for much of the race, while Dodging Bullets and Sire de Grugy have proved in their campaign that a reappearance defeat is no barrier to getting back thriving.”
Sire de Grugy pretty much carried all before him in Sprinter Sacre’s absence last season, winning six of his seven starts including the Champion Chase at Cheltenham, and after missing much of this term through injury, he got back on track in a handicap at Chepstow last time.
Lynch said: “By any handicapping measure, Sire de Grugy was back to his best with a fine weight-carrying performance at Chepstow, and he’s in pole position to capitalise if Sprinter Sacre’s problems resurface.”
Betway bet: 7-2 Sprinter Sacre, Sire De Grugy, 9-2 Champagne Fever, 5 Dodging Bullets, 8 Mr Mole, 14 Simply Ned, 22 Special Tiara, 40 Clarcam, Somersby, 50 Sizing Europe, Savello.