Cheltenham Festival live: Snow covers racecourse but racing goes ahead on Wednesday
Day two is upon us
By Marcus Armytage
Nicky Henderson may have won nine Champion Hurdles but if he is synonymous with one race at the Festival it is, by virtue of the greatness of Remittance Man and his dual winners Sprinter Sacre and Altior, the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase, a race he has only won six times so far.
In Jonbon he has another superstar but to join Henderson's great two milers he has to win today's race. He is unquestionably the best horse in it but as yesterday's Champion Hurdle proved that can sometimes count for nothing and, tactically it is one of the most fascinating races of this year's Festival because of the presence of the Joseph O'Brien trained Solness.
When Solness won a Grade One at Leopardstown at Christmas the expert view was that JJ Slevin and the seven-year-old should be arrested for burglary. However when the horse repeated the feat to beat Marine Nationale two lengths at the Dublin Racing Festival, it looked like the new tactic was bringing the best out of Solness.
There are many ways of winning from the front. On the Flat Frankie Dettori is the master of controlling the pace, slowing it down and then kicking before anyone else. If he has a trademark ride it is it. More traditionally over jumps it is to make the most of a horse's long stride to pile the pressure on those chasing and maintain a lead by out jumping the opposition who then find themselves constantly on the back foot. It often puts their jumping under pressure.
Solness has found a novel way to make the running which is to post some very strong fractions mid race for a mile, say from half a mile to a mile and a half, get a breather in while the others play catch up, go again and hope you have enough left to repel any late challenges.
In many ways Cheltenham lends itself to that tactic and Slevin can kick on and open up down the hill away from the stands and try and win it there. The dilemma for Nico de Boinville, the best big race jockey riding in Britain at the moment, on Jonbon is whether to go with Solness or sit and let him go 10 or 15 lengths clear. Or a bit of both. Either way de Boinville will have a plan.
There is an argument which has gained some traction in this sport of opinions that Jonbon is not overly in love with Cheltenham but I cannot have that. He has started there five times winning the Shloer twice, finishing second to Constitution Hill in the Supreme and El Fabiolo in the Arkle and arguably his best run was to get within a head of winning the Clarence House after all but capsizing the fourth last.
If he was once a tricky customer at home he has now matured into the finished article and I expect him to become Henderson's fourth great two miler rather than join the likes of Douvan and Well Chief as top two milers who never won a Champion Chase. Last year Captain Guinness did a 'Golden Ace' picking up the piece of a race which had fallen apart but he cannot, surely, be that lucky twice.
If Energumene, now 11 wins, he would become the first horse since Badsworth Boy 1983-5 to win it three times and, of course, if Marine Nationale, the horse that propelled the late Michael O'Sullivan into the big time, that would also be a poignant winner.
The New Lion can win the opening Turners Novice Hurdle for the Skeltons who must have thought the Arkle theirs yesterday before Jango Baie appeared from out of the clouds while Ballyburn should double his Festival tally by winning the Brown Advisory Novice Chase. Escaria Ten can massively outrun his odds of 50-1 in the Glenfarclas Cross-Country, a once gimmicky race which has now won its place in racegoers' hearts, without winning it.
Through Gordon Elliott saddles six of the 16 runner field - his best shot looks like last year's Grand National fourth Galvin - Gavin Cromwell has good chances with both Stumptown and the well weighted Vannilier. Riding out for Elliott this week I have sat on Coko Beach and, yesterday, The Goffer who felt better than he did when fifth in the Ultima last year and will enjoy the ground.
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