Cheltenham Festival - Arkle Trophy 2012

The Arkle Trophy is the Festival’s championship race for two-mile novice chasers and is usually a lightning fast, pulsating test for the top horses all completing their first season over the larger obstacles.

Captain Chris from the Phillip Hobbs stable was a highly popular winner in 2011 and completed a decent touch for many punters who backed the horse into 6/1 from 9/1 earlier in the day.

That renewal was a particularly open affair – and whilst this year’s race is hardly the opposite, there is one horse crossing everyone’s lips in the run up to the meeting.

Sprinter Sacre, trained by Nicky Henderson, finished third in the 2011 Supreme Novice Hurdle and immediately caught the eye of many in terms of being a future champion over fences.

After a bloodless chasing debut success at Doncaster in December, Sprinter Sacre then went on to slam last year’s Champion Hurdle runner-up Peddlers Cross by sixteen lengths in a Grade Two contest at Kempton over Christmas.

It wasn’t long before bookmakers installed the six-year-old at the head of the Arkle market and his credentials were strengthened more still after seeing off a talented and experienced field in Newbury’s Game Spirit Chase with consummate ease – staying on the bridle all the way to the finish line.

Jockey Barry Geraghty has since indicated that Sacre may be the best horse he has ever ridden and such strong words have inevitably encouraged backers to wade in further ante post and push the horse in to an even money favourite and likely Festival banker.

Sprinter Sacre’s class and scope is obvious even to the untrained horse racing eye, however there will be a number of other talented runners with chances and Sacre may be put under pressure if forced into a ding-dong battle.

Paul Nicholls’ Al Ferof has been overshadowed by Sprinter Sacre in the betting however he has to be regarded as a serious candidate based on the Supreme Novice form of last year.

Al Ferof was well down on an easy travelling Sprinter Sacre turning for home, only to click into gear on the incline and romp past his rivals up the Cheltenham hill.

He looks the most likely horse to get Sacre out of his comfort zone and may prevail again under similar circumstances.

Until Al Ferof’s third place finish in the Victor Chandler Chase at Ascot, Nicholls had even tinkered with a possible Champion Chase entry for his charge who will unquestionably be better suited to Cheltenham over the Royal course.

Al Ferof has come in for a little support again as the Festival draws closer but could still be tremendous value at 4/1.

The aforementioned Peddlers Cross was reported injured by trainer Donald McCain after his Kempton thrashing so the extent of that defeat can probably be forgotten.

Time will obviously tell whether or not the horse is as good over fences, but he must surely have a major chance based on how close he came to Hurricane Fly in the 2011 Champion Hurdle.

Colin Tizzard’s Cue Card will bid to prove his worth at the very highest level and the racing world will definitely know if he is top class after his participation in this race – which looks to be one of the highlights of the meeting overall.

Another former Supreme Novice winner in the form of Menorah also bolsters the quality of the line-up; however Phillip Hobbs’ stable star will have to jump much better than on previous exertions if he is to take a serious hand come the second last.

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03/03/2012     © Frixo 2024