Well Chief

Arazi

Arazi

At the Start
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
Messages
187
Well Chief is my favourite racehorse currently in training and has been since his 2004 Arkle chase victory. I was cheering him on in the following 2004/2005 season when he ran such brilliant races against Moscow Flyer & Azertyuiop. I've recently watched the 2004 Tingle Creek Chase & 2005 Champion Chase again on Youtube and without doubt they are the two most high quality 2m chase races that I have seen. Plus, he won the Victor Chandler Handicap shouldering top weight which was a fantastic performance. Unfortunately, he spent the 2005/2006 season out through injury and didn't return until last season's Game Spirit Chase. I must admit to being really nervous before that Newbury race hoping that nothing would go wrong and he would make a decent comeback. He of course went on to win the race as he liked and for me it was the best sight of the whole season, it looked like he had retained all of his ability. I was convinced he would win the Champion Chase and when he fell at the second fence it was just so frustrating, i couldn't enjoy the rest of race. I was keeping my fingers crossed that he'd bounce back in the Melling chase at Aintree but he didn't stay the extra 4f behind Monet's Garden.

So onto this season. I look at the current prices for the Champion Chase and WC is currently third favourite behind Vor Por Ustedes & Twist Magic. I suppose this is because it's still unclear whether he's as good as he was a few seasons back. That's the only reason that I can think of to not make him a clear favourite for the race because the level of form he showed in the 2004/2005 season is light years ahead of anything that the current crop of 2m chasers have achieved. In my opinion WC is as good as any 2m chaser I have seen with the exception of Moscow Flyer and I firmly believe if he retains all of his ability his rivals will have to improve alot to get near him.

There has hardly been any talk of Well Chief so far this season and so I made this topic to find out what you all think he can achieve during the coming months.
 
I don't think there is much that can be added to your analysis, Arazi.

I was at Newbury for the Game Spirit earlier this year when he beat Ashley Brook well enough, as you say, that was followed by a fall in the Champion and defeat over 2 1/2 at Aintree.

If he can regain full fitness he must have every chance of being involved at Cheltenham next March.
 
If he comes back to his best or anywhere near his best he wins all the two mile championships races. The likes of Twist Magic and Voy Por Estudes wouldnt know which he went.....
 
Originally posted by Colin Phillips@Nov 25 2007, 09:36 AM
I don't think there is much that can be added to your analysis, Arazi.
Click to expand...
Me neither, perhaps the words "and Azertyuiop" in your penultimate sentence though.

It would be great to see him mop up the 2m chases this season so that he can be remebered as a champion in his own right.
 
I didn't think he travelled at all well in the Melling and for me was beaten before his stamina came into play, which would be slightly worrying, but this division is very weak this year and he wouldn't need to be at his absolute best to clean up in all major 2 mile chases.
 
I'd agree with the last poster, he wouldn't have won the Melling whatever the trip and the Newbury race has more holes in than a sieve. I couldn't back him ante-post for the Festival until he's he's still capable of top-class form.
 
It's my understanding (and I'm open to being corrected on this by those of you who possess a greater knowledge of equine biology than I - about 99% of the contributors) that heat in the leg has to be treated by a lengthy lay off, and that in most cases, resurfaces after a few runs? If this is the case, I can only assume he will run once before the festival, which will doubtless get us all 'bouncing' again. I think you'd need to be happy about his welfare before you could back him. The race has always been prety good to me down the years, but with MWDS unlikely to line up I'm not particularly confident about anything this time round, and really logic dictates that the defending champ defends. If he can win it as a 6yo, then surely he's going to beat more or less the same animals at 7?
 
Remember him from his days in Germany he was slightly fancied by a lot of people for the Derby then but didnt run coz of a slight prob and ended up running in Baden where he ran well as such!
 
Originally posted by betsmate+Nov 25 2007, 12:53 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (betsmate @ Nov 25 2007, 12:53 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Colin Phillips@Nov 25 2007, 09:36 AM
I don't think there is much that can be added to your analysis, Arazi.
Click to expand...
Me neither, perhaps the words "and Azertyuiop" in your penultimate sentence though.

It would be great to see him mop up the 2m chases this season so that he can be remebered as a champion in his own right. [/b][/quote]
I agree I hope he does return to his best so he can dominate the 2m division.

By the way I probably should have added Azertyuiop with Moscow Flyer as being better than Well Chief. It was alot tighter to call between Azertyuiop & Well Chief because they finished very close together in the Tingle Creek Chase. I don't believe Well Chief ran to his best when Azertyuiop beat him in the Game Spirit Chase but clearly Azertyuiop didn't run to form in the Champion Chase or at Sandown when WC defeated him. So I'll go by the Tingle Creek Chase form and agree with you that Azertyuiop was slightly the better. We were lucky to have all three around at once. Moscow Flyer, Azertyuiop & Well Chief along with Remittance Man are the best 2m chasers I have seen since I started watching racing.
 
David Pipe is looking forward to Well Chief's reappearance in the paddypower.com Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on December 8.

Well Chief ran in a brilliant renewal of the race in 2004 when he was third to Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop, and Pipe is hopeful he can go two places better this season.

He said: "Well Chief has done very well and I am pleased with him. It's just a week Saturday away and I hope that everything goes according to plan in the run up.

"I hope that he is as good as ever."

David Johnson, owner of Well Chief, has indicated that he is hoping to secure the services of Tony McCoy for his eight-year-old as his retained pilot Timmy Murphy is ruled out through suspension.

That looks a distinct possibility as McCoy is unlikely to have to ride for owner J P McManus, with whom he is retained.

Frank Berry, racing manager for McManus, said: "I can't see us having a runner in the Tingle Creek as we have nothing good enough at two miles."

This year's Tingle Creek could be a full-blown British rehearsal for the Champion Chase as in addition to Well Chief, Voy Por Ustedes and Monet's Garden have already been confirmed as intended runners by their trainers.
______________________________________________________________________

I've just read this on Sportinglife.com. Looks like the Tingle Creek Chase is going to have the main 2m chasers involved. I would have thought in addition to Well Chief, Monet's Garden & Voy Por Ustedes that Twist Magic would run as well.

Looks like Tony McCoy could be on board Well Chief. I'd have no problem with that as he knows the horse from his novice days. I'd be delighted if he won but he may need his first run of the season so I won't get too excited.
 
Back
Top