Donn McClean: Saturday's Champion Chase could send ripples through the season

EASY IN HINDSIGHT.

Road To Respect is a top class staying chaser. He was rated higher than Delta Work going into Saturday’s Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal, the first Grade 1 chase of the season, and he was rated just 4lb lower than Clan Des Obeaux.

Also, Noel Meade’s horse goes well fresh, he had won on his seasonal debut for each of the previous three seasons, and he won last year’s renewal of the Champion Chase by 16 lengths. Yet, he was sent off just as third favourite for Saturday’s race.

Fair play if you figured it out while operating within the confines of mere foresight.

It was a race in which they didn’t go a great pace early on. Davy Russell allowed Alpha Des Obeaux breeze along in front, and the other riders fell into formation behind.

To put the strength of the early pace into context, there was a handicap chase run over the Champion Chase course and distance later in the day, and the handicappers got from the starting line to the sixth fence, the last fence on the first circuit, in just about the same time as the time that it took the Grade 1 chasers to get to the same point.

It wasn’t until they started out on their second circuit that the pace in the Champion Chase picked up. They went over two seconds faster than the handicappers from the last fence on the first circuit to the first fence on the second circuit, and they covered the ground from there to the winning line in a time that was around eight seconds faster than the time that it took the handicappers to cover the same ground.

Road To Respect always travelled well for Sean Flanagan. His jumping was sharp and accurate, and he moved up nicely on the outside of Clan Des Obeaux on the run from the third last fence. The two of them had it between them from that point, and a good jump at the second last gave Clan Des Obeaux a chance, but Road To Respect picked up in front at the last, and he stayed on strongly all the way to the line.

It was another high-class performance from the Gigginstown House horse, up there with the best of his career. He is a top class racehorse who probably doesn’t get due recognition. Remember that he finished fourth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2018 as a seven-year-old, when the combination of soft ground and the extended three-and-a-quarter-mile trip probably stretched his stamina beyond its limit.

It’s not that he doesn’t handle soft ground, and it was interesting that Noel Meade said on Saturday that he was probably better with some cut in the ground. That he didn’t jump with his usual alacrity at Leopardstown in February on the good ground there, when Bellshill beat him by a short head in a fascinating encounter.

Road To Respect also finished third in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival last March. He made a significant mistake at the third last fence that day at a crucial stage of the race, when the pace was increasing, and he came back in without his off-hind shoe, yet he was still only beaten by three lengths by Frodon.

It may be that he is at his best at this time of year, early in the season, but it may be that the time of year is immaterial. He has run big races at Christmas and in March in the past. We know that he goes well left-handed too – it used to be that he was better going left-handed – and the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas, a race that he won two years ago, looks like the next obvious target.

Clan Des Obeaux and trainer Paul Nicholls. David Davies David Davies

There are strong arguments for retaining faith in Clan Des Obeaux and Delta Work too. In contrast to Road To Respect, Clan Des Obeaux is rarely at his best on his seasonal debut. On his debut last term, he finished fourth of five in the Betfair Chase. On his seasonal debut two years ago, he was beaten by Whisper in a two-horse race at Kempton. On his seasonal debut three years ago, he finished fourth in a novices’ chase at Chepstow.

It’s a different story on his second run of the season though. Last year, he bounced back from his Betfair Chase defeat and won the King George. On his second run in the 2017/18 season, he won a graduation chase at Haydock. On his second run in 2016/17, he won a Grade 2 novices’ chase at Newbury.

So Paul Nicholls’ horse’s record on his seasonal debut since he arrived from France reads 14242, while his record on his second run back reads 2111. Bookmakers pushed his King George odds out to 7/1 after Saturday’s race, but that may have been an over-reaction. The Kapgarde gelding was an impressive winner of the King George last year and, in a race in which multiple winners are commonplace, he should be a big player again this year.

It may pay to retain faith in Delta Work too. It was a big ask for Gordon Elliott’s horse, taking on proven, experienced and high-class steeplechasers on his first foray beyond novice company over fences.

The sedate early pace would not have been in his favour, and he made one or two mistakes. He didn’t really make a serious error, but he was sticky on occasion when his more experienced rivals were sharp and fluent, and he was ultimately out-paced when they quickened from the second last fence.

He should improve for this experience. Also, he should do better when he can race behind a stronger pace and when there is more of a premium on stamina, a quality that he has in abundance. He won a Pertemps Final over three miles on soft ground at the Cheltenham Festival in 2018 as a five-year-old.

The Gigginstown House horse won on his seasonal debut last term, he won a beginners’ chase at this meeting last year, but he wasn’t overly impressive in so doing, and he stepped forward markedly on his next run, when he beat Le Richebourg in the Grade 1 Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse. He should progress as the season develops, he is only six years old, and the 2020 Cheltenham Gold Cup remains a legitimate target.

Saturday’s race could send ripples through the season.

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