JUMPING FOR JOY
Flying grey Politologue is the shock winner of Champion Chase
IT mighT not have been the mouth- watering contest that had been billed but don’t expect trainer Paul Nicholls to care about that after harry Skelton’s catch-me-if-youcan tactics paid off in the Betway Queen mother Champion Chase.
On Tuesday, the 11- time champion trainer had watched the Festival with friends at his local pub in the Somerset village of Ditcheat because, for the first time in 25 years, he did not have a runner on the opening day of the biggest meeting in jump racing.
But he made up for lost time yesterday as grey chaser Politologue, who had previously been one of jump racing’s nearly horses, beat stablemate Dynamite Dollars by nine-and-a-half lengths.
Back in fourth, running a listless race, was 2-5 favourite Defi Du Seuil who laboured round under Barry geraghty.
he, at least, had made it to the race. The big two he was supposed to be facing never left their boxes. Dual Champion Chase winner Altior had been pulled out 24 hours earlier after failing to recover from going lame on Sunday. And joining him on the sidelines was big irish hope Chacun Pour Soi because an abscess was found on one of his hooves yesterday morning.
Their absence was deflating but typically Nicholls would have fancied his chances even if they had been present.
he had tried a different preparation with Politologue — a delicate horse who had finished fourth and second to Altior in the last two runnings of the Champion Chase — not running him since his fifth place to Defi Du Seuil in the Tingle Creek at Sandown in December.
Nicholls, who was winning the race for a record- equalling sixth time, said: ‘Politologue is brilliant when he is fresh. he is not the easiest to train. he bled (broke a blood vessel) in the Tingle Creek and we had to change what we do, but he was very, very ready today.
‘We have changed the way we train him. We never work him up our hill and he does all his work on the level. i was so bullish about him because he had just come right.
‘Both him and Dynamite Dollars looked outstanding in the paddock and i thought they had outstanding chances. Politologue wasn’t beaten far by Altior last year and they jumped the last fence upsides.
‘he has had a better preparation and that counts for a lot. it’s sad that the others were out but you can only beat what is running and, who knows, he might have beaten them anyway.
‘You have to run horses here that have chances. i had nothing with a chance yesterday.’
Nicholls will now hope adopting the same approach with King george Vi Chase hero Clan Des Obeaux — who has not run since winning on Boxing Day — pays off in tomorrow’s gold Cup.
Nicholls’ 46th Festival winner was also a fourth for Skelton, who started his jump racing career with Nicholls when his trainer brother Dan was the champion’s assistant.
Owner John hales, who has three Champion Chases now — his others came with One man in 1998 and Azertyuiop in 2004 — supports both stables and was instrumental in Skelton getting the ride.
harry said: ‘it’s my first ride in the Champion Chase. i owe so much to the hales family. They have known me since i was a little kid.
‘ You dream of winning these things. Politologue was great all the way round. his ears were flicking back and forth the whole way and i thought, “There’s always a bit there when i need there to be”.
‘i didn’t want to go too hard and completely warp myself, but from three out i landed running and set him alight, and he kept going hard all the way up the run-in.’
Trainer Philip hobbs was understandably downcast with Defi Du Seuil. he said: ‘it’s an enormous disappointment. Everything had gone so well this season. he had won his three races and had been in great form at home.
‘he never looked comfortable from the word go. Barry said he did not show his normal zest. For whatever reason, he has run miles below form.’
Defi Du Seuil’s eclipse was also a disappointment for owner JP mcmanus — but he had far more to celebrate. After Epatante’s Champion hurdle win on Tuesday, he had a four-timer yesterday with wins in the RSA Chase for Champ, Cross Country Chase for Easysland, Coral Cup for Dame De Compagnie and Boodles Juvenile handicap hurdle for Aramax.