Wednesday, January 5, 2004
GREAT TRAVEL FAVOURITE FOR THE VICTOR CHANDLER CHASE WHEN WEIGHTS UNVEILED
Great Travel (9st 4lb), an impressive winner at Kempton and Newbury this season, and Thisthatandtother (9st 12lb), already runner-up twice at Cheltenham this season in the Paddy Power and bonusprint.com Gold Cups, are the first and second favourites at 5/1 and 7/1 respectively with VCBet for the £110,000 Victor Chandler Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday, January 29, after the weights were unveiled today (Wednesday, January 5).
Their trainer Paul Nicholls has six other entries to choose from including Cenkos (10st 8lb & 25/1), Armaturk (10st 5lb &10/1), Kadarann (10st 1lb &12/1), last year's Grand Annual Chase victor St Pirran (9st 1lb & 14/1) and L'Ange Au Ciel (8st 7lb & 20/1).
Nicholls' Azertyuiop (11st 10lb), last season's Queen Mother Champion Chase victor, heads the weights for the Victor Chandler Chase which is run over two miles and half a furlong. Last season he put up a tremendous performance under 11st 10lb to finish the neck second to Isio (receiving 19lb) in the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot before going on to success at The Festival. He was last seen when finishing third to Kicking King in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and is unlikely to run.
Champion trainer Martin Pipe has yet to add the Victor Chandler Chase to his illustrious CV and his five entries are headed by Well Chief (11st 9lb), the 2004 Irish Independent Arkle Trophy winner. The six-year-old confirmed he is up there with the best by finishing an excellent third behind Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown before falling in the Castleford Chase at Wetherby on Monday. He too could sidestep the race and the Nicholashayne handler's other four entries are Seebald (10st 3lb & 12/1), Upgrade (9st 9lb & 33/1), progressive novice Contraband (9st 8lb & 10/1 ) and Golden Alpha (9st 5lb & 16/1).
Nicky Henderson won the Victor Chandler in 2004 with Isio as well in 1996 with Big Matt and two of his three entries are prominent in the betting - Non So (9st 1lb & 8/1) and Tysou (8st 12lb & 14/1), while the other one, Caracciola (9st 3lb & 25/1), was a smart novice last season,
Flagship Uberalles (10st 4lb & 14/1) has a great record at Cheltenham over the years, winning three times, including the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy in 1999 and the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2002.
The 11-year-old will be bidding to improve on his one previous run in this race, when he finished second under top weight in 2000. His trainer Philip Hobbs could also be represented by Kalca Mome (8st 12lb & 16/1), a winner at Doncaster last month.
Another trainer with two entries is Venetia Williams, successful in 2000 with Nordance Prince, and she could run Bleu Superbe (8st 12lb & 16/1) and Kelrev (8st 8lb & 20/1).
Last season's Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle winner Fundamentalist (10st) defeated Contraband when taking the Grade Two Independent Newspaper Novices' Chase over two miles at The Open on November 14 at Cheltenham. His last run at Cheltenham on New Year's Day was disappointing, when he unseated Carl Llewellyn in the Unicorn Homes "Dipper" Novices' Chase, although he was subsequently found to be suffering from sore shins. He is an unlikely runner.
Completing the entries are Tim Easterby's Turgeonev (10st & 25/1), winner of this race in 2002, the progressive Oneway (8st 10lb & 16/1), successful on last three starts in fine style, Irish challenger Ground Ball (8st 13lb & 12/1), triumphant on his latest two starts over hurdles in Ireland, and Transit (7st 11lb & 100/1).
Neal Wilkins, PR Manager for VCBet, commented today: "It is a very competitive list of entries for the Victor Chandler Chase and we believe that the progressive Great Travel is the one the others have got to beat."
The Victor Chandler Chase is being run at Cheltenham for the next two years while Ascot is redeveloped.
For further information, please contact Peter McNeile, Cheltenham's Commercial Manager, on 01242 537600 or on his mobile 07850 091523
VICTOR CHANDLER PRICES
5 Great Travel
7 Thisthatandtother
8 Non So
10 Armaturk
10 Contraband
12 Ground Ball
12 Kadarann
12 Seebald
14 Flagship Uberalles
14 St Pirran
14 Tysou
16 Blue Superbe
16 Golden Alpha
16 Kalca Mome
16 Oneway
20 Kelrev
20 L'Ange Au Ciel
25 Caracciola
25 Cenkos
25 Turgeonev
33 Upgrade
100 Transit
Each-Way a quarter the odds 1-2-3-4, others on request
THE VICTOR CHANDLER CHASE
Class A, Grade Two, £110,000 Total Prize Fund. For five-year-olds and upwards, two miles and about half a furlong. Lowest weight: 10st 4lb; highest weight: 11st 10lb. Penalties: after January 1, a winner of a Class A to C chase 4lb; no penalty to increase a horse's weight above 11st 10lb. Entries closed December 22, entries revealed December 24, weights revealed January 5, forfeit stage January 11, five-day confirmation stage January 24, final declaration stage 10.00am, January 28. Form figures supplied by Weatherbys and are correct up to and including the racing of Tuesday, January 4. May not include some overseas form.
Form Horse Age/Wgt Owner Trainer
211-123 AZERTYUIOP (FR) 8-11-10 John Hales Paul Nicholls
111-23F WELL CHIEF (GER) 6-11-09 David Johnson Martin Pipe
41-1U46 CENKOS (FR) 11-10-08 Judy Stewart Paul Nicholls
24-1143 ARMATURK (FR) 8-10-05 Barry Marshall Paul Nicholls
322P-55 FLAGSHIP UBERALLES (IRE) 11-10-04 J P McManus Philip Hobbs
510-226 SEEBALD (GER) 10-10-03 The Macca & Growler Partnership Martin Pipe
14P-232 KADARANN (IRE) 8-10-01 Notalotterry Paul Nicholls
21-112U FUNDAMENTALIST (IRE) 7-10-00 Gripen Nigel Twiston-Davies
42-2F04 TURGEONEV (FR) 10-10-00 David Sills Tim Easterly
1F22-22 THISTHATANDTOTHER (IRE) 9-9-12 Graham Roach Paul Nicholls
56-4550 UPGRADE 11-9-09 Matt Archer & Jean Broadhurst Martin Pipe
021-221 CONTRABAND 7-9-08 David Johnson Martin Pipe
50203-3 GOLDEN ALPHA (IRE) 11-9-05 David Johnson Martin Pipe
1244-11 GREAT TRAVEL (FR) 6-9-04 Judy Stewart Paul Nicholls
1120-6P CARACCIOLA (GER) 8-9-03 Piers Pottinger Nicky Henderson
0/112-FF NON SO (FR) 7-9-01 ROA Dawn Run Partnership Nicky Henderson
1F130-3 ST PIRRAN (IRE) 10-9-01 Graham Roach Paul Nicholls
120-011 GROUND BALL (IRE) 8-8-13 J P McManus Charlie Swan IRE
0-55201 KALCA MOME (FR) 7-8-12 Miss I D Du Pre Philip Hobbs
33PF-20 BLEU SUPERBE (FR) 10-8-12 Peter Deal, Tony Hirschfeld & J Tyndall Venetia Williams
05P-023 TYSOU (FR) 8-8-12 Bill Brown Nicky Henderson
15P-111 ONEWAY (IRE) 8-8-10 Mark Rimell Mark Rimell
204-200 KELREV (FR) 7-8-08 Len Jakeman, Flintham, King & Roberts Venetia Williams
1/1-F L'ANGE AU CIEL (FR) 6-8-07 Barry Marshall Paul Nicholls
510423 TRANSIT 6-7-11 Graeme Redpath Brian Ellison
25 entries
1 Irish-trained
BREAKDOWN OF ENTRIES BY TRAINER WITH PAST SUCCESSES IN THE VICTOR CHANDLER CHASE
8 Entries
Paul Nicholls (1999 Call Equiname, 2003 (replacement race) Young Devereaux)
Azertyuiop
Cenkos
Armaturk
Kadarann
Thisthatandtother
Great Travel
St Pirran
L'Ange Au Ciel
5 Entries
Martin Pipe
Well Chief
Seebald
Upgrade
Contraband
Golden Alpha
3 Entries
Nicky Henderson (1996 Big Matt, 2004 Isio)
Caracciola
Non So
Tysou
2 Entries
Philip Hobbs
Flagship Uberalles
Kalca Mome
Venetia Williams (2000 Nordance Prince)
Bleu Superbe
Kelrev
1 Entry
Tim Easterly (2002 Turgeonev)
Turgeonev
Brian Ellison
Transit
Mark Rimell
Oneway
Charlie Swan IRE
Ground Ball
Nigel Twiston-Davies
Fundamentalist
THE VICTOR CHANDLER CHASE ROLL OF HONOUR 1987-2004
YEAR HORSE AGE/WGT OWNER TRAINER JOCKEY SP RAN
2004 ISIO 8-10-05 Sir Peter & Lady Gibbings Nicky Henderson Mick Fitzgerald 4/1 13
2003 YOUNG DEVEREAUX 10-10-04 Paul Barber, Mick Coburn, Colin Lewis Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 9/2 9
2002 TURGEONEV 7-10-04 David Sills Tim Easterly Richard McGrath 9/2 8
2001 FUNCTION DREAM 9-10-11 Scart Stud Mary Reveley Anthony Ross (3) 2/1F 10
2000 NORDANCE PRINCE 9-10-00 Pinks Gym & Leisure Wear Ltd Venetia Williams Tony McCoy 13/8F 10
1999 CALL EQUINAME 9-11-03 Mick Coburn, Paul Barber, Colin Lewis Paul Nicholls Robert Thornton 15/2 7
1998 JEFFELL 8-10-11 Thomas Bailey Arthur Moore IRE Conor O'Dwyer 13/2 9
1997 ASK TOM 8-10-10 Brian Stewart-Brown Tom Tate Russ Garrity 9/4F 8
1996 BIG MATT 8-10-04 Ted Benfield & Bill Brown Nicky Henderson Mick Fitzgerald 8/1 11
1995 MARTHA'S SON 8-10-09 Paddy Hartigan Tim Forster Rodney Farrant 3/1 8
1994 VIKING FLAGSHIP 7-10-10 Graham Roach David Nicholson Richard Dunwoody 3/1 4
1993 SYBILLIN 7-10-10 Marquesa De Moratalla Jimmy FitzGerald Mark Dwyer 9/2 11
1992 WATERLOO BOY 9-11-10 Michael Deeley David Nicholson Richard Dunwoody 6/4F 5
1991 BLITZKREIG 8-10-04 J P McManus Edward O'Grady IRE Tommy Carmody 11/4 5
1990 MEIKLEOUR 11-10-10 Mrs A C Leggat Jimmy FitzGerald Derek Byrne 10/1 10
1989 DESERT ORCHID 10-12-00 Richard Burridge David Elsworth Simon Sherwood 6/4F 5
1988 Abandoned due to fog
1987 Abandoned due to snow & frost
Run at Warwick in 1994
Run at Kempton in 1997 & 1999
Run as Tote Exacta Chase at Kempton in 2003
For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink
Archive
|
