Champ

Now that the old calendar has turned to September and that season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’ is edging closer now seems like the perfect opportunity to properly start focusing of the NH sphere. Let’s do so by having a close look, team, at a horse who could take very high rank this term.

Champ is a 7YO gelding in training with the forum’s pin-up and idol, Lieutenant Henderson. He had a very lucrative campaign last term, in novice hurdles, winning a pair of Grade 1’s and also finishing runner-up, in another, at the old Cheltenham Festival. But perhaps he is most famous for the fact that ITV Racing spent the whole of season 2018/19 seemingly fascinated by why the animal was monikered Champ and then repeating this story countless times on every occasion that he ran (and sometimes even when he didn’t)! Luke Harvey in particularly looked astounded everytime he was told the story – even on the 751st occasion. But in all seriousness he looks to be a horse of huge interest for this term. However, and I do mean however, if he remains sound where will connections steer him???

The thing that I love about this stage of the NH term is that quite literally almost anything is possible and with this horse, more than most, that deffo seems the case as the old boy is currently quoted re 6, I say 6, races at The Cheltenham Festival by those bookie chappies and you could make a case that its possibly that he could end up in any of these races if in tip-top shape come March ’20. The current best prices re these heats are Arkle (or ‘The Meghan Markle’ as those Cockney types now call this race) 20/1, Champion Hurdle 40/1, RSA 10/1, JLT 16/1, Stayers Hurdle 16/1, CGC 50/1.

But where will Champ end up??? If he fails over fences, as so many top novice hurdlers tend to do these days, you would have to be thinking it will be either of the 2 hurdling heats (providing they think he’s good enough) whilst if he proves a competent fencer then one of the 3 novice heats would be the call (which one would depend, of course, on how connections feel re Champ’s stamina). The shortest odds offered are for the RSA but this option is further complicated by the fact that his owner/trainer combo have another staying novice chase prospect who could be a better proposition for this race, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more… However, and this is the big, big, big thing re Champ, he is not a young horse and will be an 8YO come next year’s Festival. If connections go down the novice route in 2019/20 he will in effect get just one shot at winning a CGC (as horses of double digit age just don’t win modern day CGC’s). And if he pulled out lame on the morning of the 2021 CGC he’d never get a realistic chance of winning the race! If he’s not top drawer that won’t be an issue, of course, but should Champ look exceptionally after 2 or 3 runs in novice chases don’t be surprised, because of his age, if he’s steered towards the ultimate prize in March. Another reason why the CGC could be the option is because the above mentioned nudge, nudge one is younger and much more inexperienced so I don’t think there is any chance whatsoever he would be asked to compete in the ’20 CGC even if he looks like the ‘reincarnation of Pegasus’.

Because of this uncertainty and the large range of options I feel that Champ is not an ante-post option, for the Festival, at the moment unless you have extremely, and I do mean extremely, strong views on where he will end up. I don’t but do feel how his season will pan out is incredibly interesting and exciting as quite simply the only conclusion you can draw, right now, is that none of us know what will happen! Given who owns him and the erraticness of his ‘management team’ (play the sinister music, Maestro) you also can’t be sure that they will make the right or even the obvious, and correct, decision re his future. That is another angle to throw into any equation, of course.

So then team what are our predictions re Champ and 2019/20??? I think you would need to be brave / foolhardy (delete as appropriate) to be confident about anything but if someone held a gun to my head, although I’m sure no-one would ever want to do that, then I would say he’ll head, ultimately, to the RSA Chase, if he remains sound, but not with much conviction given all the ponderables and possibilities. Those bookie chappies would concur as that is the lowest quote re all his current Festival options. Finally, can I stress that if Champ was CGC bound this term then he would not be my pick that remains his stablemate, Santini. This one winning the 2020 CGC has been my belief since the beginning of 2018 and not once, and I do mean once, has this view every altered. And why should it, crew, as in Lieutenant Henderson we trust…

 

And Newbury likes Lieutenant Henderson.

Yes, you are probably right. Go for an intermediate distance introductory, see the lie on the old land and then take it from there. Really hope though that they get Champ out early enough so that he can have a few sighters prior to the old Festival.

 

For an 9 year old who dosn't have many miles on the ole clock id stay with the hurdles myself as going over the big 'uns will just be a project to see how he gets on than more of putting him forward to claim one of the big prizes...

 

You've aged him by 2 years, old boy. Champ is still only 7.

 

Sorry, typo mistake Sir Barney...

 

7/1 to win any race at the festival with Will Hill

 

Given the huge uncertainty over exactly where he will end up that 7/1 is quite reasonable (especially when you consider he is just 10’s for one single contest). Would certainly allow you just to enjoy the horse’s campaign rather than fret about how connections will go.