HARRY POLS THE STRINGS
POLITOLOGUE capped “a magic 45 minutes” for his jockey Harry Skelton to give trainer Paul Nicholls a record 11th Betfair Tingle Creek Chase triumph at Sandown Park.
The victory, from stablemate Greaneteen, added to the success of Allmankind, trained by the winning rider’s brother Dan, in the preceding Grade 1 Planteur At Chapel Stud Henry VIII Novices’ Chase.
The defection, thanks to rainsoftened ground, of hot favourite Altior from the two-mile test on Friday left 2017 winner Politologue 11-8 favourite. Making every yard of the running, the grey bounded over the final fence to a seven-length win.
As to where yesterday sat in his list of Saturday afternoons, Skelton, 31, said: “Marrying my wife was pretty good, so that would have to come top of the list. But this was a close second – a magic 45 minutes!”
Much pre-race discussion centred on Nicky Henderson’s decision to scratch Altior, but Nicholls said: “We were looking forward to taking him on again.
“The last time they met, in the Champion Chase (at Cheltenham) two years ago, there was a lengthand-a-half between them, and we think we’ve got this horse a lot better now. He’s tough and he keeps winning, and that’s what you want.”
The Skelton brothers, once on Nicholls’ payroll in Somerset, defied their former boss as Allmankind led to hold Hitman by two-and-a-half lengths and earn a 12-1 quote for the Arkle Trophy in March.
At Aintree, Vieux Lion Rouge repeated his 2016 William Hill Becher Chase score – and has now cleared 223 Grand National fences.
The Henderson- trained 2020 Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Santini went off the 13-8 favourite for the Grade 2 Many Clouds Chase, but Lake View Lad sprang a surprise at 16-1.