The Champion Chase 2010

Master Minded still goes next for the Tingle Creek. Nicholls mentioned he has had muscle problems but said he just was not sure what is the problem or how it is effecting the horse.

I missed the start of the interview on RUK - did he mentioned MM used to hang out like that in his youth and that they ironed it out but now he is back at it?
 
Galileo said:
Well Chief is still miles behind his best.
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Clearly, but no need to take such a negative stance I don't think - he was only ridden hands and heels and eased near the end. Plenty more to come (albeit probably not to his 2005 level) if he stays fit and healty.
 
Isinglass said:
I like MM a lot, but thrilled for Chiefy. :<3: It is wonderful to see a horse of his calibre back in the Winner's Enclosure after having been through so much. Good ride by Timmy, and a great training performance by David Pipe. Today may be his last day in the sun, or maybe his genuine toughness and will to win will see him do this again. Whatever, today is one to remember. :)
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Absolutely - the reception in the winners enclosure was amazing - great to see how well he was appreciated - I can't ever remember a horse getting a reception like that at Cheltenham for a race outside the festival.
 
Not being negative, was thrilled for the horse - but I would wait to see how he goes in the Tingle Creek before I would consider him for the QM just yet. I think the winner will come from last season's novices - to my eye Master Minded might be falling out of love with the game a bit.
 
Sorry, didn't mean to say you were negative more that it's too early to say he's that far below his best, considering how he was ridden etc. I'd love to see Well Chief go for the Tingle Creek.
 
Isinglass said:
I like MM a lot, but thrilled for Chiefy. :<3: It is wonderful to see a horse of his calibre back in the Winner's Enclosure after having been through so much. Good ride by Timmy, and a great training performance by David Pipe. Today may be his last day in the sun, or maybe his genuine toughness and will to win will see him do this again. Whatever, today is one to remember. :)
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There is a God after all is all I can say:<3:
 
Absolutely delighted to see Well Chief back in the winning enclosure, he travelled great throughout and really deserved the victory. Hopefully he can have an injury free season and another crack at the Champion Chase.

The Tingle Creek Chase could be a real cracker with Well Chief, Master Minded & Kalahari King possibly facing each other.
 
I've never thought Master Minded was the best Champion Chaser I've seen (as his over-inflated rating tells us he is). Nevertheless, I wouldn't be too worried about him not being able to give 10lb to Champion class horses (albeit past their very best form). MM still represents the yardstick they have to beat this season.

He has a tendency to pull to the right anyway... seemed a bit more pronounced today. Earlier in his career they had the idea of keeping to right-handed tracks with him.

Well Chief on the other hand ran a lovely race today. It's good to see an older horse who has had his problems perform with such authority.
 
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Master Minded has been eased from EVS to 7/4 with a few firms after today. Step back from the emotion of seeing Well Chief win and what actually happened?

A hat-trick seeking Champion Chaser began his quest to emulate what only one horse ever done with a November debut prep race giving 10lb to his likely nearest QM rival and just not finding anything after the last. His trainer said afterwards: "He's having a good blow and will come on enormously for the run".

I'm not saying that Well Chief was fully race-tuned either, but Pipe's are hardly known for running unfit. Why did MM hang? Who knows, but I think the price swing is an overreaction.
 
In terms of numbers relative to the previous generation, I agree. But I put that more down to inaccurate/inconsistent rating rather than any reflection on his ability relative to his current peers.
 
True, but that was then and this is now - and Barker, Forpady.. and Kalahari King are gonna be far tougher nuts to crack than the likes of Well Chief, VPU and Schinder's Hunt.
 
On the tv screen Master Minded's coat looked a bit odd
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He sweated up in the paddock, was quite jittery generally. I'm a bit inclined to agree with Gal - not sure the horse's heart is totally in it and I suspect he's not comfortable in some of his races.

Well Chief, though, was wonderful. It was great to see him win - brought back memories of that wonderful era of Moscow, Azza and Chiefy.

As for the ground, my perception was that it was patchy, and more patchy on the inside than the outside.
 
It was a wonderful day to be there , despite the best efforts of Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear Live show at the NEC which fittingly caused a massive traffic jam on the M 42 .

The reception was like a Festival one with loads of people running for the winner's enclosure and lots of cheers

Someone shouted out " Great training performance David " and his response was to point to Well Chief and say " good horse "

OK I am not getting carried away and MM looked like a bull on the way down to the start but it is terrific to see that the Chief is still a contender and in a way makes us all feel a bit younger being a link as he is to Moscow and Azertyuiop.
 
betsmate said:
A hat-trick seeking Champion Chaser began his quest to emulate what only one horse ever done with a November debut prep race giving 10lb to his likely nearest QM rival and just not finding anything after the last. His trainer said afterwards: "He's having a good blow and will come on enormously for the run".

I'm not saying that Well Chief was fully race-tuned either, but Pipe's are hardly known for running unfit. Why did MM hang? Who knows, but I think the price swing is an overreaction.
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Everyone (perhaps rightly) is focusing on Well Chief in the aftermath of the Connaught Chase, but in terms of a form guide for the Champion Chase, I prefer to focus on the hopelessly exposed pair Mahogany Blaze and Newmill.

Neither of these horses should have finished in the same parish as Master Minded, and following another below-par performance against Big Zeb last year, I think the drift in Master Minded's price is more than justified. It's not like he's been knocked-out to 7/2.
 
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I wonder what price you'd get on Master Minded not winning another race this season? Not saying it's likely, but his form is beginning to worsen race by race.
 
Great to see. Fingers crossed.

ALL WELL WITH CHIEF
By Press Association Sport Staff

Well Chief appears to have returned home to David Pipe's stables in reasonable shape after his victory at Cheltenham on Sunday.
Nothing can be taken for granted with the chestnut, who has had countless problems with his legs and was having just his second start in over two and a half years in the Connaught Chase.
But the racing public remain tremendously fond of Well Chief and as Timmy Murphy returned to the winner's enclosure after his defeat of Mahogany Blaze and dual Champion Chase hero Master Minded, he was given a moving reception.
"Timmy looked after him and he travelled extremely well. He's now 10, but he's still not got many miles on the clock," said Pipe.
"I wasn't quite sure he was going to keep going as well as he did, but he'll improve for the run.
"It's a privilege to train him. We've nurtured him back and he looks as good as ever.
"Touch-wood, he seems well and ate up last night.
"He had a cut on the inside of one of his front legs, but the vets at Cheltenham did a good job looking after that.
"The early signs are good."
Pipe will now consider the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown next month.
"I would have thought that is the obvious next stop," he told At The Races.
"We'll see how he is, but that would be the obvious next race for him.
"I'd imagine he'd have one or two more races before Cheltenham in March."
 
Really pleased to see CHiefy win yesterday and sad to see MM beaten. I thought he was hanging to the right a fair bit. Were he mine, I would do a full nuclear body scan (very expensive but lets face it the horse is worth it) and xrays to see if there are any "hot-spots" anywhere on his body. I hope it is muscular. I met up with a friend in the US who has 3 incredibly advanced all-singing & all-dancing electro-magnetic machines ($25k each) that she treats horses at Santa Anita & Hollywood Park with. Zenyatta & Life is Sweet are two of her patients and their trainer sings my friends praises. Maybe she should give PN a call!
 
I see from today's Post that although Master Minded disappointed in the big one he was still the highest-rated performer at the Open meeting (170 apparently, Well Chief 165).
 
What did they give Mahogany Blaze? Let me guess - 163 or 164? Ran to a stone higher figure than ever before?

There is no way that MM has run to 170, and there's no way that Well Chief has run to 165. These ratings are a joke, imo.
 
That would seem the best approach, but it seems to me total guesswork however you rate it. It is fair to assume Master Minded ran well below his best, after that there isn't much can be concluded. All last season Mahogany Blaze was consistantly hammered in the best company, in a manner of a horse barely worth 150 (or an entry). His debut this year showed no obvious sign of a leap forward, from a stable which tends to have them fit early.
 
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