Queen Mother Champion Chase Preview - Cheltenham Festival
Published on: 11/03/2020
Queen Mother Champion Chase Preview - Cheltenham Festival
March 11, 2020 15:30pm - Cheltenham
Distance: 1m 7f 199y
Grade: (Grade 1) (Class 1) (5yo+)
Runners: 6
Winner: £225,080
Going: Soft
The showpiece race of Day Two on one of the Festival`s "big four," the Queen Mother Champion Chase is the premier race for two-mile chasers in the jumps season. Altior won the last two editions but has been forced out by injury this time around. Other notable former champions include Viking Flagship, Moscow Flyer, Master Minded and Sprinter Sacre.
With Altior ruled out due to soreness on a splint and Dublin Chase winner Chacun Pour Soi also withdrawn, the door is open for the rest of the field in this Grade One event. Defi Du Seuil has recorded two previous Festival wins at the Triumph Hurdle in 2017 and the JLT Novices` Chase in 2019 and arrives on the back of some decent Grade One wins at Sandown and Ascot. He also won a Grade Two here and clearly loves running at Cheltenham.
Given the big-name withdrawals, it is hard to see any other runner making an impact here.
Queen Mother Champion Chase Winners - past six years:
2014: Sire de Grugy (8) - Jamie Moore (Gary Moore)
2015: Dodging Bullets (7) - Sam Twiston-Davies (Paul Nicholls)
2016: Sprinter Sacre (10) - Nico de Boinville (Nicky Henderson)
2017: Special Tiara (10) - Noel Fehily (Henry de Bromhead)
2018: Altior (8) - Nico de Boinville (Nicky Henderson)
2019: Altior (9) - Nico de Boinville (Nicky Henderson)
Latest Betting odds:
Defi Du Seuil (5/4), Dynamite Dollars (16/1), Politologue (16/1), Sceau Royal (22/1), Bun Doran (50/1)
By Neil Morris
Published on: 11/03/2020
Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (11/03/2020 11:30:34) but are subject to change.