Ascot Saturday

SMALL fields do not necessarily mean dull races, and padding decent matches out with also-rans does not cure a problem that may or may not exist, and last weekend proved the case that less is more, in both Ascot’s Grade 2 Christys 1965 Chase and the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Haydock.

The former has been billed for months as the race of the season, with Altior going head-to-head with the one British-trained horse rated higher than him over fences.

It’s fair to say that the decision to rate Cyrname (176) above Altior on 175 following his Ascot Chase win was one of the most contentious handicapping decisions of recent years, but Michael Harris had his judgment vindicated last Saturday.

Cyrname (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) not only confirmed his status as the leading British chaser, but saw his mark rise slightly to 177, as he did almost everything right in defeating Altior (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) by two and a quarter lengths despite drifting markedly to 5/2 at the off.

The only moment of worry for him came when he took off too early at the first ditch, and made a jarring error which was certainly more serious than noted at the time. Aside from that, he outjumped Altior, in terms of speed through the air and away from his obstacles, not just several times, but at pretty much every fence, and that is the key to his superiority.

Superior finishing

Altior has long looked a horse of huge ability, but his superior finishing kick has disguised the fact that his jumping has become a liability at the highest level.

That might seem a strange case to make about a horse who, until very recently, was described as a “superb jumper” by Timeform, but many of us have been fooled by a style of jumping which is occasionally spectacular, often showy, but fundamentally careful, rather than slick. The fact he’s been outclassing his rivals for much of the past two seasons has stopped us noticing that he was developing a habit of giving his fences slightly too much daylight, and by jumping slightly steeper than necessary, was having to work harder to re-establish momentum after each fence.

I repeat slightly for good reason, as the flaw is not a massive one, but the margins are so fine at the highest level, that even a tiny flaw, repeated, can make a big difference over a dozen fences.

Altior was not outstayed by Cyrname in the 1965 Chase, he was outmanoeuvred, with the latter setting the pace which suited him ideally, and forced his rival to make minor adjustments and expend more energy than he did.

Over time, those incremental differences began to tell, and for once the runner-up was unable to utilise his rare ability to quicken again at the end, or at least he was unable to quicken any better than a horse to whom he was conceding a start and who is every inch his equal.

To some degree, fitness played a part here, and Altior was clearly very tired as he crossed the line, but how much a lack of conditioning was to blame for his defeat given the winner was at a similar disadvantage in terms of preparation is a moot point. Of more concern in that regard is whether a truly gruelling race might take its toll on a great champion who pushed himself to the limit in attempting to maintain his unbeaten record over obstacles. Time will tell.

Both Cyrname and Altior will be stepping into the unknown if they meet again in the King George. Cyrname will certainly be suited by the track at Kempton, and even for those of us who see cracks beginning to appear in Altior’s technique, the Kempton fences tend to catch out those who don’t get high enough much more than at Ascot, and there is a chance that the Sunbury track will allow him to express himself more effectively. He remains one of the best around, but the air of invincibility has gone.