8th February 2021
CHACUN POUR SOI was impressive in The Dublin Racing Festival’s Dublin Chase, and despite Min being pulled up, Chacun Pour Soi was still very impressive in retaining his crown. He’s now odds-on with every bookmaker, bar one for the Champion Chase, having been around the 11/10 mark before the race. SkyBet is a stand out 1/1 on Chacun Pour Soi. Chacun Pour Soi coasted past Notebook and Fakir D’Oudairies with ease and then galloped clear to the line in stunning fashion.
28th January 2021
Nicky Henderson is adamant ALTIOR will be going to The Champion Chase, despite yard jockey Nico de Boinville hoping to try the horse over further in the Ryanair Chase. Altior won the Champion Chase in 2018 and 2019 but has suffered defeat twice in his last three starts and missed last season’s Festival through injury. Nicky said: “There’s lots of conjecture about whether he’ll run in the Champion Chase or the Ryanair, but unless something categorically comes up and says this horse wants two-and-a-half-miles, I’m expecting to run him in the Champion Chase. Nico de Boinville is very keen to go two and a half, but I do think – and maybe I’m in dreamland – that there is something about him just at the moment that is different to how he was before Christmas. He’s gone back to doing all his work with his head on the floor. He always used to do that and it was noticeable earlier in the year that he was carrying it much higher, like a normal horse. Now he’s gone back to tanking along with his head down and I’m very pleased to see him like that. He’ll always go through that spot in a race where you think ‘are you going all right’, but he soon answers the question – and I don’t think he’s lost that.”
He is currently 8/1 (7/1 NRNB) and he can be backed at 16-1 for the Ryanair (8/1 NRNB).