ALT OF THIS WORLD
Champion display matches Sprinter feat
ALTIOR galloped from the huge shadow cast by iconic stablemate Sprinter Sacre as he left his rivals toiling in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Sprinter Sacre, dual winner of the Cheltenham Festival’s Wednesday feature – he scored by 19 lengths in 2013 before regaining his title three years later – is feted as one of the greatest horses ever tutored by champion trainer Nicky Henderson.
But awesome Altior, yet to be beaten in 13 races over obstacles, matched his stable-companion’s feat of three Festival victories.
The eight-year-old, who won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2016 and the Arkle Trophy 12 months ago, stormed up the hill to beat Willie Mullins’ Min by seven lengths.
Unsaddling his winner after a drama that had seen Mullins’ Douvan fall at the fourth fence from home, Henderson – winning the Champion Chase for the fifth time – said: “It’s strange that Altior has come around so soon after Sprinter Sacre.
“This horse is very, very good. I always said he had very big shoes to fill, but each time he wins he gets closer to doing that.”
Henderson (right), who tearfully retired Sprinter Sacre in November 2016, added: “We had those wonderful days with ‘Sprinter’ and you have to say some of the scenes today were reminiscent. “You can’t believe so soon after he retired that you can find something creeping towards his aura.” Jockey Nico De Boinville admitted the rain-softened ground had threatened to derail Altior, who suffered a last-minute foot injury on Monday. “It’s not his ground – his jumping kept him in the race,” said the jockey. “He’s some horse to get me out of trouble.” Henderson will make history if Might Bite wins tomorrow’s Gold Cup, adding to Altior’s Champion Chase win and Buveur D’Air’s success in Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle. “We’ve got more work to do,” he added. “Might Bite has got more questions to answer, but he’s in good form.”