5/4
for one race or 9/2 for the lot? Potentially one of the best two mile chasers
ever. Certainly one of the most impressive Arkle winners ever. Sprinter Sacre
put any amount of hurt into those brave enough to face off with him in his
novice season. His Game Spirit win was nothing short of absolutely
breathtaking; his Arkle win was stamped indelibly with superb fencing, shape,
rhythm and power. Aintree offered a summation of all that had gone before. Five
victories accruing a collective winning margin of 66 lengths leaving no doubt
that we are in the midst of greatness.
Hill's
offer of 9/2 didn’t stick around.
Among a constellation of stars, sometimes the youngest burn the brightest. Sizing Europe will be 11 in March: a stunningly
talented 2m chaser, winner of the Greatwood Hurdle, all over the winner of a
Champion Hurdle but for injury, Arkle winner, a Champion Chase winner and a
Champion Chase runner-up denied only by a pulsating battle. Those are achievements that
make good the words ‘class’, ‘brilliance’ and ‘durability’. At 11, however, the
legs will no longer match the heart’s desire.
That
titanic and somewhat controversial tussle at Cheltenham saw Sizing Europe
eyeball Finian’s Rainbow and lose. Not many would have thought that possible.
The horse that moved through his Arkle like, well, Sizing Europe, only to be
brushed aside by the subsequently injury and error prone Captain Chris managed
to turn another season of potential into a fine top notch win. Finian’s rainbow
was snug at Kempton, beaten at Ascot, victorious, finally, at Cheltenham. He
will be 10 in March, ever the late starter.
173,
171, 169. Champion, former Champion, Champion in Waiting.
In
that Game Spirit, Geraghty wanted to restrain Sprinter Sacre. Try to settle,
switch off; work among and behind horses. The request was met with disapproval.
Hurtling over the first, pull, head thrown about repeatedly. Approaching the
second Sprinter Sacre attacked his fence with relish in a way that would have
overtaken everything had Geraghty not restrained him for a second time. More
disapproval, perhaps bewilderment. Sprinter Sacre was still throwing his head
around whilst clearly eyeballing the water fence and pinging it, slowly gaining
the upper hand in his battle. By fence six, he was in front and gone:
destruction.
Whilst
two very good champions should never be cast aside, nor will they be, perhaps
the most interesting of rivals is the horse that couldn’t be tamed over a
hurdle: Sanctuaire. I’m not totally sure if a reason was ever given for the
mandatory policy of starting Sanctuaire off in a race plum last. He rarely
enjoyed it, often refusing to settle. For his wins, he got into the race
largely due to the raw inferiority of his rivals. Persisted with over hurdles –
again for no real reason – the late season switch to fences brought about a
front-running sensation, culminating in a rating of 166, three shy of Sprinter
Sacre. His victories were of the sunset season type: a fresh, invigorated horse
against inferior opposition and although he slammed Somersby by 17L hard-held,
that horse had had his day in the sun against Finian’s Rainbow (again, how did
Finian’s Rainbow conjure up such defeats?)
Paul
Nicholls also has the electric but injury bedraggled Tataniano in his care. The
Nicholls pair and both the current and former Champion Chaser lie in wait for
Sprinter Sacre: it is a measure of his talent that an unbeaten season bet makes any amount of appeal should
it resurface between now and October.
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