The Cheltenham Festival is just a matter of days away, and as the excitement builds for the four-day meeting, punters are eagerly awaiting what is being considered as the biggest clash of the Festival.
Big guns Altior, Chacun Pour Soi and Defi Du Seuil will all go head-to-head in Wednesday’s Queen Mother Champion Chase, with the Phillip Hobbs-trained Defi Du Seuil as favourite to steal Altior’s crown with Betfair. But does the seven-year-old have what it takes to hold-off his more-experienced foe?
Altior
Just saying the name Altior strikes fear into any bookmaker. The 10-year-old is a Prestbury Park legend. The Henderson-trained horse is narrow 15/8 favourite to see-off Chacun Pour Soi and Defi Du Seuil and retain the Grade One Queen Mother Champion Chase. A win in the prestigious race would be Altior’s third successive Champion Chase victory at the Gloucestershire course in as many outings.
The 10-year-old’s success at the festival started four years ago as he beat Willie Mullins-trained Min, who was the favourite, in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle by seven lengths. The Arkle Challenge Trophy, which he won by six lengths over Cloudy Dream, followed in 2017 before back-to-back Champion Chase’s – beating old foe Min by seven lengths again in 2018, before a much more competitive one-and-three-quarter lengths victory over Politologue the following year.
At the end of November, Cryname’s win in the 1965 Chase at Ascott ended Altior’s 19-race winning streak. However, he got back on track with a victory at Newbury last month, beating another Champion Chase rival, Sceau Royal, by over three lengths.
Defi Du Seuil
This year will mark Defi Du Seuil’s third appearance at the illustrious Cheltenham Festival, and he’s heavily fancied to end the legendary Altior’s winning ways. The Phillip Hobbs-trained horse first entered the Festival in 2017, setting-off as 5/2 favourite in the Grade One Triumph Hurdle. And, proving why he was the front-runner, he beat Gordon Elliott’s Mega Fortune by an impressive five lengths. The Bay Gelding returned to the Cotswolds last season, this time winning the Grade One Novices’ Chase by two-and-one-quarter-lengths over Lostintranslation.
The seven-year-old is heading straight for Prestbury Park on the back of three successive wins this season. Starting with a victory at Cheltenham back in November, in the Grade Two Cheltenham Chase, beating Politologue by just over a length. The J.P. McManus-owned gelding then beat Mullins’ Un De Sceaux in the Grade One Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown by a neck, before getting one over on the 12-year-old again at Ascot in January – this time by a much wider two-and-three-quarter lengths.
Chacun Pour Soi
Mullins’ eight-year-old, the least experienced of the big three, has raced just four times since joining the Champion Trainer in 2016, and is 5/2 to win the prestigious race. Chacun Pour Soi won the Beginner Chase at Naas in March last year, beating Portmore Lough by a whopping 31 lengths. In May, another win followed at Punchestown, in the Grade One Novice Chase, beating Champion Chase rival Defi Du Seuil by over four lengths.
The eight-year-old returned to the track in December for the Grade One Paddy’s Rewards Club “Loyalty’s Dead, Live For Rewards” Chase at Leopardstown. However, despite being 8/15 favourite, Champion Chase fourth-favourite A Plus Tard beat him by almost four lengths. Nevertheless, Chacun Pour Soi found winning form again last month back at the Irish track, beating Min in the Grade One Dublin Chase.
—