Sandown Saturday

Betfair Tingle Creek Chase (Grade 1)

THE big story at Sandown’s Tingle Creek meeting was the overnight defection of Altior from the Tingle Creek, but that decision and its ramifications have been discussed ad nauseam elsewhere, so I will focus on what did – rather than what didn’t – actually happen.

The going on the chase course was a mix of soft and good to soft, largely in line with the description, and certainly not testing as evidenced by the winning times of the two graded races.

Politologue (Paul Nicholls/Harry Skelton) took advantage of late defections and the poor performance to make all in the Queen Mother Champion Chase in March, and he was again presented with a fine opportunity here, which the 11/8 favourite took in typical style.

Jumping soundly in front he beat off his stable companion Greaneteen (Harry Cobden) at the bypassed Pond Fence before making his only semblance of a mistake at the second-last.

In years gone by he may have faltered, but the nine-year-old is no longer a weak finisher, and he found more to pull seven lengths ahead up the hill. Rouge Vif (Harry Whittington/Gavin Sheehan) didn’t enjoy the ground but plugged on willingly for third ahead of Pat Fahy’s Castlegrace Paddy.

The winning trainer was typically punchy in his post-race debrief, and aside from a swipe at the decision to withdraw the ante-post favourite overnight, he was bullish about his champion chaser going forward, believing he’s as good if not better than ever having got over a tendency to bleed between races which made him hard to train.

He certainly copes with a hard race well as he’s got older, and Nicholls is planning to give him a run in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot on his way to defending his Queen Mother crown in March.

Greaneteen needed to improve to win this having rather scrambled home in handicap company at Exeter, but he travelled best until the winner pressed on before the straight, and comfortably held second.

That shows he’s going the right way still, and this represented another career-best effort, which gives hope that he will prove himself up to winning at this level in the spring.