Drama Filled Leopardstown Day 2 Didn’t Give Champion Chase Clues

Yesterday was a fantastic day’s racing and a typical day showcasing the ups and downs of National Hunt racing.

Min Decision
It was the correct decision to disqualify Min for causing interference to Simply Ned on the run in in the big Grade One Chase over two miles. The stewards definitely made the right decision, there’s no doubt about it.

There were a couple of hefty bumps from the back of the last and he was only beaten half a length so the stewards were on the ball.

Novice Hurdle Drama
Then just half an hour later in the Novice Hurdle there was unbelievable drama. You wouldn’t see as much drama in the Grand National! Mengli Khan was still travelling very well at the front when he went out through the wing at the second last. I can never understand why a horse tries to take something on that is 6 foot tall instead of 3 foot tall.

Then Real Steel and Sharjah have the race between them and they both fall independently leaving Whiskey Sour to come and take the race who had literally tailed off at halfway. It was a crazy race!

Politologue
It was a foregone conclusion that Politologue would win the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton after Special Tiara fell. He did it well in the end but after that fall,

he didn’t exactly have Champion Chase standard horses to beat, no disrespect intended.

I still have my doubts whether Politologue is a Champion Chase horse.

I rode Fox Norton in the Tingle Creek and wasn’t too impressed with Politologue that day I didn’t think he ran a very good race. Fox Norton didn’t perform to the top of his ability and that was also shown at Kempton St. Stephen’s Day when he ran stinker in the King George. So, the Champion Chase form is wide open at the moment.

Obviously Altior has to come out and run this season yet so I don’t think we learned a whole lot about the Champion Chase yesterday.