(3 minutes read)
The Champion Chase market has been full of twists and turns this season. All the key players have come unstuck at some point with no clear forerunner in the betting markets. The mighty Shishkin who might have been looking for revenge after last season’s Champion Chase capitulation, has recalibrated and upped in distance to the Ryanair route, whilst the progressive Edwardstone was surprisingly beaten by Editeur Du Gite in the rescheduled Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham.
This leaves the Willie Mullins trained current champion Energumene, although he didn’t fare too much better in the same race, running a relative stinker back in third.
We assess the chances of the front runners in the market and check out the best each way bets through our partner firms Bet365, William Hill, Bet Victor, Betfred and Boylesports.
Energumene
The newly introduced colour of the fences at Cheltenham has reportedly been one of the contributing factors to Energumene’s shock defeat to Editeur Du Gite and Edwardstone in the rescheduled Clarence House Chase at The Cheltenham Trials last month.
However, you could argue that Paul Townend’s decision to ride prominent rather than completely dictate matters, could also be influential. Energumene’s best wins come from when he is dictating the pace, putting horses under pressure and forcing errors. Either way, horses run bad races and the Clarence House run takes nothing away from the fact that Energumene is the best 2-mile chaser in the UK and Ireland.
His chief rival Edwardstone also has questions to answer. Willie Mullins will no doubt produce a totally different horse on the day. Our selection at 13/8 best NRNB with William Hill, Bet Victor, Betfred and Boylesports.
Edwardstone
The Alan King trained 9 year old had no shortage of critics two seasons back but an incredible training performance by his trainer propelled him to the top of the 2 mile novice chasing ranks last seasons which was rightfully underlined with a superb victory in The Arkle.
His first outing in the senior division saw him take out the Sandown specialist Greaneteen in The Tingle Creek by some 9 lengths. It will be fascinating to see a rematch with Energumene and Edwardstone. He will be in the thick of the action but may find Energumene too good on this occasion. Best odds 15/8 with William Hill.
Editeur Du Gite
The development of this Gary Moore trained 9-year-old has been nothing short of significant. After thumping the talented Nube Negra in the Kauto Star Grade 2 chase at Kempton, he pulled off one of the shocks of the season by landing the Clarence House at Cheltenham late last month.
It’s anybody’s guess what the horse will produce next but the progression of Editeur Du Gite this season cannot be ignored.
He is for me the biggest danger to Energumene and would make excellent each way value if he was a better price but 6/1 (William Hill) has to be good value on reflection of what he has achieved this season. He sees out the trip very effectively.
The Rest
I’m confident the outcome will involve the front three in the market. Past achievers Nube Negra (25/1 Bet365, William Hill) and Greaneteen (33/1 Bet365, William Hill) are certainly attractively priced but need to improve on current form to figure here.
The best each way bet by far is Funambule Sivola who finished second to Energumene in last year’s renewal. Best priced at 40/1 with Bet365 and William Hill.
Recap
One of the most fascinating races of the week and quite challenging to call with any degree of certainty. Plenty of question marks for all the entries with the exception of Editeur Du Gite who has done nothing wrong all season.
The conundrum is whether Editeur can beat Energumene at the top of his game. Willie Mullins will muster all his powers and know-how to bring the current champion back to the fore and providing Energumene is given a positive ride, he should take all the beating.
Edwardstone should not be ruled out either and Funambule Sivola or Greaneteen can exploit any chinks in the front runner’s armours if they can up their game.
Verdict
- Energumene to win at 13/8 best NRNB with William Hill, Bet Victor, Betfred and Boylesports.
- Funambule Sivola each way at 40/1 with Bet365 and William Hill.
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