Politologue caused the upset of The Festival™ presented by Magners 2020 so far with an all-the-way success in the £400,000 Gr1 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham on Wednesday.
Trained by Paul Nicholls, the nine-year-old son of Poliglote jumped with aplomb under Harry Skelton and stayed on strongly in the closing stages to record a nine and a half-length success in the Gr1 event over stable companion Dynamite Dollars (7/1).
The 2/5 favourite Defi Du Seuil was disappointing and a well-beaten fourth.
Politologue spring-heeled
This was Politologue’s third victory in G1 company and Nicholls’ sixth win in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, joining Nicky Henderson and Tom Dreaper as the winning-most trainer in the race’s history.
The Ditcheat maestro, registering his 46th win in total at The Festival, said: “Politologue is best fresh and he is brilliant when he is fresh. He is not the easiest to train – he bled in the Tingle Creek and we had to change what we do with him, but he was very, very ready today. There was no other way to ride him. The other horse [Dynamite Dollars] made a mistake at the top of the hill – he wants two and a half miles – but it was two very good runs.
“I am pleased because it shows we were right about coming here fresh. I just can’t wait for Clan des Obeaux on Friday now. It shows that, when they are very fit and very fresh, they are brilliant.
“I thought Sam [Twiston-Davies] was going to ride him all the way along the line and I feel for Sam because he has ridden some brilliant races but John wanted Harry. I didn’t argue – Harry rides out for us – and I feel for Harry Cobden because it was a difficult decision. Dynamite will win plenty of races over a bit further.
“The race fell apart a little bit with a few coming out but it was his race today and he was very good. I am very pleased. I knew we were in the right place and I knew that he wouldn’t stop. Harry was doing the right job and he was jumping brilliant from the front. I am thrilled with him.
“I looked in the paddock beforehand and thought he was a stand-out. I got him here fresh and fit and it’s just worked out brilliantly.”
Winning owner John Hales was enjoying a third victory in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase following on from the successes of One Man (1998) and Azertyuiop (2004) in the two-mile chasing championship.
An emotional Hales commented: “That was brilliant from Politologue. We dictated it from start to finish and Harry got it absolutely right tactically. In the previous race, he thought they had gone too slow so I thought ‘make your own pace – if that means go from the start, go and run the finish out of them’. That is precisely what he did and I am over the moon.
“My third Queen Mother. After the bad news I had yesterday with my horse in the Arkle [Maire Banrigh who fell four out] – she is in hospital but she is going to be OK. She was cruising yesterday and I knew that she would have won that race but fate wasn’t with us.”
