Cheltenham Festival: Key Champion Chase contenders analysed by Sky Sports Racing expert Mick Fitzgerald | Racing News

This year’s Champion Chase looks set to feature a cracking rematch between the front three in the Clarence House and former jockey Mick Fitzgerald has cast his expert eye over the key contenders.

The showpiece event on day two of the Cheltenham Festival, the Queen Mother Champion Chase, can often be dominated by one superstar, but the 2023 renewal looks wide open with defending champion Energumene on the comeback trial.

He had reopposing rivals Editeur Du Gite and Edwardstone in front of him in the rearranged Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham on Trials Day, while stablemate Blue Lord is added to the mix.

Energumene

Energumene is the obvious starting point for the Champion Chase as the current favourite and last year’s winner of the race. I saw him before the Clarence House and he looked great, but ultimately he was disappointing on the track.

To be honest, I was surprised with the waiting tactics in the Clarence House as, pre-race, I thought Paul Townend was going to bounce out and go with Editeur Du Gite and just ride him like they have done in the past, when he has often looked so good.

I’m not exactly sure why they have changed the tactics. Maybe it was something to do with last year’s Champion Chase when he was dropped in, and he won. When you win a Champion Chase dropped in, it’s hard to maybe turn around and say that isn’t the best way to ride him.

It’s been well-documented now that both Willie and Paul felt he was staring at the white boards on the fences, and that definitely didn’t help his cause. I thought Energumene got out of sync and out of rhythm with his jumping because usually he’s bold and attacking, but he clearly wasn’t that at Cheltenham.

I know some people might not believe Willie and Paul when they flagged up the white boards after the race, but for me there is something in that. When you see a horse jump over the white boards for the first time, they will stare into them; I’ve actually seen it quite a lot with horses schooling at home. Undoubtedly, there is merit in that argument.

He is a horse who can jump right, too, and did so the last day, but to me he just never seemed comfortable, maybe for reasons mentioned above. Bigger negatives may come in terms of ground and pace. Energumene is at his best on very soft ground – he’s like a four-wheel drive on that kind of going – and if they revert to more positive tactics, I can’t see him getting an easy time of it.

I’m certainly not anti-Energumene though – how can you be with a horse that good? I just wonder what race conditions on the day will be like for him in terms of ground and pace. I wonder will they ride him more aggressively in the Champion Chase? I think they will, but it might set the race up for others, too.

Strengths – His peak form is still better than anything in this field and he’s the defending champion

Weak spot – If he goes forward, he likely won’t get an easy lead and quicker spring ground will suit others more

Edwardstone

Edwardstone is the horse I fancy in this year’s Champion Chase. He’s got contrasting ground and pace requirements to Energumene, but the race may well set up better for him.

I was disappointed with his Clarence House second because I backed him! Going into the race, I just thought both Editeur Du Gite and Energumene would set the race up for him, but I still feel that’s going to be the case in the Champion Chase, with the possibility of other prominent racers in there, too.

This horse is a very strong traveller and a good jumper, two things you need to win a Champion Chase. The faster the pace on the Wednesday, the better he will be, especially if we have some nice spring ground.

He maybe came into the 2022/23 season a bit underrated, looking at it now, but I think if he didn’t get beaten by Gentleman De Mee at Aintree last season, he would’ve been much shorter in the betting going to the Tingle Creek. We are all a bit guilty of it every now and again, but we can maybe write off a horse after one run and I think that happened with him because he didn’t look to have any excuses that day.

Having watched back the Arkle a few times, to be fair to Edwardstone, at no stage did you think he wouldn’t win, and that was after nearly being brought down early and Riviere D’etel broadsiding him two out. If you are on what I’d call “a nearly horse,” that bump would have emptied plenty horses, but it didn’t with him.

Some might be concerned by his unseat at Kempton over Christmas, but I think you can forgive him that. They run down to that obstacle, and it has a big board, and sometimes a horse will grab at it. The setback Alan King announced he had a few weeks ago wouldn’t bother me either as he’s back to being happy with him. I really like this horse, how his race sets-up and he’s on my hit list for Cheltenham.

Strengths – The race looks like it could set up perfectly for him and he’s clearly improved this season

Weak spot – He hasn’t reached the heights of a peak-form Energumene just yet

Editeur Du Gite

We need to give Editeur Du Gite the respect he deserves as a Grade One winner having turned away both Edwardstone and Energumene in the Clarence House Chase. Do I fancy him for the Champion Chase, though? No, but I like his attacking style of racing. He is honest and a hard horse to peg back because he doesn’t lie down. They are good qualities to have.

In the Clarence House, it really did look like Edwardstone was going to beat him nicely a few strides after they jumped the last, but Editeur Du Gite knuckled down so well. I’ve got to say he did benefit from a really, really good ride and you cannot underplay that. For a young lad like Niall Houlihan to pull that off in a race of that calibre, it told us a lot about Niall’s talent.

When you ride an attacking frontrunner like Editeur Du Gite, it’s quite easy to let them roll, maybe do too much too early, but Niall dabbed the breaks on at the right times in that race. If he went too quick, a horse like Edwardstone would have gone by him like he was stood still.

The horse’s Achilles Heel in the Champion Chase is he won’t be underestimated again, and you suspect he’ll be taken on much earlier. It’s a bit different on that Old Course too, compared to the New Course he won the Clarence House on, because they tend to get at you earlier on that Old Course.

I keep asking myself why this horse has improved as a nine-year-old this season and I maybe got the answer when I went down to visit Josh Moore a few weeks back. He’s a very nice horse physically: A good model, 17 hands and a big, strong lad.

Like Edwardstone, this lad is ground versatile so drying conditions won’t bother him, but being taken on for the lead might.

Strengths – He’s a classy, honest horse who is clearly improving

Weak spot – The surprise factor with him is gone; we now know he is a good horse, so he likely won’t get an easy lead

Blue Lord

Blue Lord is a horse who I would be keen on in the Champion Chase because he’s another that will be ridden behind the pace, as he can race aggressively. With the likelihood of a good gallop on, I think it might just help him.

He was third in the Arkle behind Edwardstone last season and was a bit disappointing on the day, especially as he looked good at Leopardstown in the Irish Arkle. I did wonder then, after Cheltenham, was that as good as he is, but he went and won well at Leopardstown this season over Christmas.

That was a very authoritative performance, but when you go through the form with a fine toothcomb, it didn’t have the strength-in-depth there so maybe he is a horse that looks good when he tackles inferior opposition?

I know plenty will be disappointed that he was beaten at 1/4 by Gentleman De Mee at the Dublin Racing Festival, but Gentleman De Mee, while hit and miss, can be seriously good on his day. I didn’t think it was that bad of a run last time, and I don’t want to write him off after one run. Gentleman De Mee is a hard horse to get a handle on, but Blue Lord’s run might not be as bad as the prices on the day suggested, especially as Paul (Townend) felt the big Christmas win left a bit of a mark.

In a funny way, with Blue Lord’s best not coming at the Dublin Racing Festival this season, maybe he’ll head to Cheltenham in slightly better shape this year as it can be hard for horses to put big back-to-back performances together.

The bank wasn’t bust with him last time out so with pace to run at, and no ground worries, you can see him running into a place in the Champion Chase.

Strengths – The race looks like it will set up nicely for him

Weak spot – You do just wonder whether his Grade 1 wins have come against much lesser horses in the context of an Edwardstone and an Energumene?