I found this on YouTube the other day and, having not seen it for quite a few years, I have to say it a masterpiece of racing broadcasting. You will all be familiar with the story in the build up to the 2012 Tingle Creek Chase - a huge clash between the previous season's brilliant Arkle and Maghull Novices Chase winner Sprinter Sacre and Paul Nicholls Sanctuaire, the equally brilliant winner of the Celebration Chase (by 17 lengths from Somersby) at the end of his unbeaten novice chase season earlier in the year. Could Sprinter Sacre be beaten? Many thought not and he went off at 4/11 with Sanctuaire 11/4 and Ruby Walsh had obviously decided that his best chance was to try and expose any chink in the armour of Sprinter Sacre by bouncing his fellow out and get him jumping at speed. The first thing to notice, in the opening seconds of the clip, is a very slim Dan Skelton leading up Sanctuaire at the start - how he has changed over the years (well his waistline has)!!!!! As the field heads towards the first fence Ruby already has Sanctuaire into the lead and they all jump the first well with Sprinter Sacre very keen. The first 2 hurtle at speed towards the 2nd fence (an open ditch) already 5 lengths ahead of the others and they both absolutely soar over it, much to the delight of commentator Ian Bartlett. As they head away from the stands at the end of the home straight there are 2 really good camera angles that show how undulating that section of the course is - something we rarely get to see and kudos to whoever was in charge of camera placement. The birds scatter from the track as they head downhill to the fence on the side of the track and Sanctuaire has opened up a lead of probably 8 lengths (to my eye not quite the 10 that Bartlett mentions) and both jump it well. There is then the most wonderful shot as they enter the back straight, the camera panning round to reveal that famous line of 7 fences in all their glory in the late afternoon sun. As the camera switches to the head-on view, Sprinter Sacre makes a mistake at the first fence whereas Sanctuaire continues on his merry way and here we get an appreciation of how wide the course is as they approach the section where the hurdles course crosses the chase course. Then they come to the 3 railway fences with Sanctuaire still around 7 lengths clear and if you watch Sanctuaire in isolation he is fast and very fluent at all 3 fences. But then look back to Sprinter Sacre after the last of the 3 railway fences and suddenly he is only about 4 lengths down and you find yourself wondering how that could possibly happen? Pure athleticism. Coming around the bend towards the pond fence Barry Geraghty allows Sprinter Sacre to close on Sanctuaire and draw level with him (allows, doesn't ask - he is still motionless) and suddenly Ruby needs to ask Sanctuaire for more. Sprinter Sacre jumps to the lead at the pond fence and, with Geraghty motionless, proceeds to pull 5 lengths clear approaching the 2nd last. He pings that, and the last, and with Geraghty still motionless, he powers up the hill to win by 15 lengths from Kumbeshwar, who pipped the valiant Sanctuaire for second place. Nick Luck summed up what everyone was thinking at the end of the race: "Well, well. What kind of ridiculous, unthinkable monster is this"? Enjoy
