Following his run in the old âTingle Creekâ I see that Mr Hendersonâs Sprinter Sacre is now rated the best steeplechaser in the land by the official handicapper who has raised him 10 pounds to a perch of 179. The cream has most deffo risen to the top on this occasion. The top UK rated horses over the big âuns following the weekend action are: 179 Sprinter Sacre 173 Finianâs Rainbow 172 Long Run 172 Silviano Conti 171 Bobs Worth 171 Tidal Bay 170 Riverside Theatre 168 Albertaâs Run 168 Al Ferof 167 Medermit 167 The Nightingale 166 Burton Port 166 Sanctuaire The startling and eye-catching fact re these figures is that all of the top 7 are trained by either Mr Henderson (5) or Mr Nicholls (2). A sure indication that these 2 men look certain to dominate the sport not just in the short term but the longer term as well. Meanwhile, there domination goes on below this top level as well as they are responsible, between them, for 11 of the 13 listed above. But do we agree with these ratings and do members think that by the seasons end some of these will be higher or lower than their current perch??? Personally, I think the big climbers out of this list will be Sprinter Sacre and Long Run. The former has the potential to get better and better whilst I really can see the latter reclaiming past glories.
Sprinter Sacre is an absolute tank and rightfully odds on already for the Champion Chase, hopefully he can be the shining light for years to come, touch wood being injury free. On the same token though Sizing Europe looks potentially good each way value for the Champion Chase, surely cannot see it finishing out of the first 3 come March.
SS was given a provisional rating of 183 after his TC victory.The mind truly boggles what this "beast" is truly capable of should he ever have to race hard. I can only see Simonsig(should he take to fences) being the only horse that could ever give this "machine" a race Far and away the most supremely talented NH horse that i will ever see in my lifetime.
Cant really disagree with the official handicap mark of Sprinter Sacre, I was at Sandown for his Tingle Creek victory and I was very impressed, can't wait to see how high his mark could go! Would just have to argue Finians Rainbow 2nd highest rated chaser in training?
It's an interesting one because for his rating to rise continuously he'll have to win 15 lengths on the bridle every time he visits a racecourse, possible of course but at some point someone will to within a couple of lengths of him and that oponent won't be a 180 horse so the 'capper will be cautious. There's a bit of the Master Minded about him for me, looks the real deal (well he is the real deal) and could dominate the 2m scene for years to come, but as we know it's hard to retain that level of form year in year out and at some point the next star will emerge or connections will get bored with 2m and think they can win King Georges and other big races, and that could mess the horses head up. I hope not because the game needs superstars and after the flat boys had Frankel to follow this year I'd love Sprinter Sacre to be the NH version of Frankel...
Being a believer of SS from day 1 I was not surprised at how easily he beat Sanctuaire. Look what he has done to his previous opposition? Peddlars Cross in particular has never been the same since he was broken by this beast. Time will only tell how good the form is but I feel the handicapper is still being to cautious, probably because this was still only SSs first race out of novice company. Had this performance come later in his career I'm sure it would have received a higher mark. SS will struggle to better Saturdays performance. Look at it this way how often is he going to be up against a front runner like Sanctuaire that is going to give him a toe into a race like that. Just so people realise how fast they went in that race, by the 3rd fence they were already 10 seconds faster than the novice race won by Captain Conan. That is just ridiculously fast. So for SS to still be on the bridle, and effortlessly jogging up the Sandown hill, is frightening. Sprinter Sacre is not just the best 2 miler I have ever seen, he is the best chaser. I have never seen a horse that clears fences like he does. Granted he was a little fiddly at a few, but he's still learning. You can see though how much raw talent this horse has when he meets a fence right, he barely touches a twig, and he makes it look so effortless. The sky's the limit with this horse, the problem is he will probably never face a good enough opponent to get the high ratings his ability deserves. Geraghty will just be happy to keep just doing enough, as there is no need to risk the welfare of the horse to try and achieve a high rating
Yes, he really is quite good! Mein Gott, I'm so glad his nibs is no longer around here - think I'd go bonkers. We'd have Sprinter Sacre as a 6-course meal every day?....with a choice Arkle brandy and New Approach cigar to end the day....maybe.... please log in to view this image
