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The second Champion race takes place at 3:30 in the shape of the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase Grade 1. This is for the quickest and best jumpers over the minimum trip, where speed and precision are key.
Other than Altior in recent years, the short-priced favourites have been beatable. We've had Defi Du Seuil beat at odds of 2/5, Chacun Pour Soi beat at 8/13 and last year saw Shishskin beat at 5/6 so upsets do happen in this race, so your short-priced backers have to be a little careful in this race, even if you think you have a certainty.
Cheltenham 3:30 – Editeur Du Gite 11/2 (1pt)
This year's renewal doesn't look like a great race on paper with the two ‘stand out' horses being those who will occupy the majority of the bets placed. But, I don't think it's going to be that simple for Edwardstone and Energumene.
Edwardstone won last year's Arkle, but was then beaten at Aintree, probably suffering from the effect of his Cheltenham win. This season hasn't gone to plan, he won on his seasonal reappearance winning at Sandown beating Greaneteen in the Tingle Creek, putting in a monster performance, which was the final nail in the coffin for Shishkin who then had to be upped in trip. He then unseated Tom Cannon early into his Kempton race, where he didn't jump well for the start of the race. That race saw Editeur Du Gite win and that was the first time people gave the Gary Moore horse respect in Graded races of that nature. For me, Edwardstone would've been 100% fit and ready for his final run of the season before he comes here today and I thought if he was going to win, he'd have done it and there isn't any excuse for him not to win. He didn't jump great, which seems a bit of a recurring theme for him recently, but he travelled smoothly, got ahead, but got outstayed. He is obviously one of the ones to beat, but I have my doubts, especially at the prices.
I don't think you can give any excuse to Energumene for his recent flop at Cheltenham behind Editeur Du Gite. He came with him run to win the race and belted the second from home, which saw him have no chance. If I'm honest, he looked beat before that, and considering he travelled better than Edwardstone that day, I thought Edwardstone and Editeur would've easily beaten him without that blunder towards the end. He won this race last year when Shishkin was pulled-up, making it an easy race for him in a weak renewal, and then he won at Punchestown beating an old Chacun Pour Soi. He could easily bounce back to form, but is he actually as good as people make him out to be? He's short enough in the market and will have to improve massively from last time out.
I am going to give Editeur Du Gite a chance in this. People will think he fluked it last time around at Cheltenham, but I don't think that's the case. I just think he has progressed into a really good horse. He was always a good, hardy handicapper, running well and winning in some big handicaps, but the last two runs have seen him take his form to a whole new level. We know how he will be ridden, and that's from the front. He loves this track, jumps really well and if those in behind do make mistakes, which clearly looks a possibility, he could be tough to peg back. Even if they do get to the upsides of him, we know he is a battler and will try his heart out and stay up the Cheltenham Hill. I think he is the value in this race, and it's a shame there are not more runners as he would be a cracking EW bet to nothing, but at 2 places I go for the win. One final thing is the owners also owned Sire De Grugy who was a winner of this race in 2014, he went from a handicapper to a Grade 1 animal in a similar way to Editeur Du Gite.
