Racing Post

THE RACING POST RANKINGS

‘I’VE NEVER SEEN A HORSE RUN THROUGH THE LINE AT THE END OF A GOLD CUP LIKE DID’

A PLUS TARD

CHASERS

IF you thought that the hurdling division was exciting then just take a look at the chasers. This is a golden generation and A Plus Tard

gets the Racing Post title of chasing champion.

I thought I had seen the performance of the week when Constitution Hill won the Supreme at the festival, but A Plus Tard’s Gold Cup triumph trumped it. I’ve never seen a horse run through the line with such gusto at the end of the Gold Cup and he did it in a quick time too.

A Plus Tard found trouble in running when turning in, but put more than 18 lengths on the 2021 winner Minella Indo from the home turn in one of the most devastating displays ever seen in the Gold Cup. It was a freakish performance that is unlikely to be topped for a while.

Cheveley Park Stud have the first two as they also own another freakish talent in Allaho, who went two-and-ahalf-mile pace for three miles in the Punchestown Gold Cup and had his rivals legless in behind. He was out on his feet himself and ran the closing stages slowly in comparison to the other chases on the card, but by then he had already blown the race apart.

Allaho produced a similar performance in the Ryanair at Cheltenham to give him two of the top three runs of the season on my rankings and he’d be a worthy champion in a normal year.

What about the race of the season? That surely came at Ascot in January when Shishkin and Energumene

went head-to-head in a muchanticipated clash between the star two-mile novices of the previous season and it was Arkle winner Shishkin who won a gruelling battle.

Energumene jumped and travelled best, so much so that in-running punters on Betfair backed him to a low of 1.13 to win the epic tussle. However, they underestimated

Shishkin’s guts and determination, and the Nicky Henderson-trained star dug deep to win going away at the line.

Maybe Shishkin dug too deep as he never travelled before being pulled up early on in the rematch at Cheltenham, which Energumene won, and Shishkin wasn’t seen out again. That allowed Energumene to take advantage and land the Punchestown Champion Chase as well.

Shishkin’s victories at Ascot, and previously in the Desert Orchid at Kempton, ranked higher on my scores than Energumene’s Cheltenham or Punchestown wins so it wasn’t a difficult decision to give Shishkin third place ahead of Energumene. Let’s see what this season brings.

Incidentally, Energumene only scraped fourth ahead of

Royale Pagaille .Itmight surprise a few that he is that high up, but there aren’t many better when the ground is testing and he produced one of the runs of the season to win the Peter Marsh at Haydock under 11st 10lb, conceding upwards 16lb to subsequent big handicap winners Sam Brown and Fortescue.

Fakir D’Oudairies is often the forgotten horse of the twoand-a-half-mile division. He is caught in the shadow of the outstanding Allaho and was beaten by him three times last season, but he won his other three starts including the Grade 1 Ascot and Melling Chases.

Galvin was the best of the Christmas winners. The Savills scorer at Leopardstown achieved more than King George winner Tornado Flyer and went on to finish fourth in the Gold Cup.

Clan Des Obeaux takes his place in the top ten courtesy of his win in the Bowl at Aintree and his second in the Punchestown Gold Cup, when he was the only horse to give Allaho a race.

It was a strong season for the novices and, such is his reputation, Galopin Des Champs is favourite for the Gold Cup next year. He would have thrashed Bob Olinger in the Turners at Cheltenham but for dramatically coming down at the last and that performance was comfortably the best from a novice last season, but it’s still a little way off Gold Cup class.

Galopin Des Champs confirmed himself the supreme novice chaser around when landing a Grade 1 at Fairyhouse in April, but

L’Homme Presse was comfortably next best behind him.

L’Homme Presse ran away with the Scilly Isles at

Sandown and followed up in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham, when he had subsequent Aintree Grade 1 winner Ahoy Senor behind in second. L’Homme Presse had those places reversed when he was third at Aintree, but I’d trust Cheltenham form over Aintree efforts and Ahoy Senor doesn’t make the top ten.

The Arkle went to

Edwardstone and he is the best two-mile novice from last season, but only narrowly ahead of his Aintree conqueror

Gentleman De Mee and both are on the fringes of the top ten. However, with Shishkin and Energumene around, they will face a vintage crop.

THE BIG JUMP OFF

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2022-10-17T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-10-17T07:00:00.0000000Z

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