THIS afternoon’s Close Brothers Handicap Chase at Kempton has had almost as many different names in the last decade as there have been years in the last decade. The changes have been fairly subtle on occasion, like from the Racing Post Chase to the Racing Plus Chase, and from the Betbright Chase to the Betdaq Chase to the Betway Chase, via the 888Sport Chase. Now it’s the Close Brothers Chase, which it can be, now that the Close Brothers (Novices’ Handicap) Chase at the Cheltenham Festival is no more.

You have to be grateful to sponsors at all levels, especially these days, and Close Brothers also stepped in to sponsor the Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last year for the first time. But it just shows you the difficulty in having the sponsor’s name as the race name. Sponsorships just don’t last as long these days as the Hennessy and the Whitbread sponsorships did.

The Butcher Said could be the answer to today’s conundrum. Olly Murphy’s horse is more unexposed than most of his rivals, having run just six times over fences in his life.

He was a progressive novice hurdler last season, he won four times during the summer of 2019 and he ran well in good races at both Cheltenham’s October meeting and Cheltenham’s November meeting last season, on ground that should have been softer than ideal for him.

He was off the track from November last season until March last season when, following a wind operation, he put up a big performance at the Kempton meeting that followed the Cheltenham Festival in a competitive handicap hurdle off a mark of 135. He came from well back that day, and he had to go wide around the home turn, but he kept on well to finish a close-up second to Our Power.

An easy winner of an uncompetitive novices’ chase at Southwell last August on his chasing bow, he won again at Bangor in September, and he ran better than the bare form of the run suggests in a three-mile novices’ chase at Cheltenham last November. He travelled well down the hill and he had moved up to within about three lengths of The Big Breakaway, when he nodded badly on landing over the second last fence, and lost all chance.

He ran in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle next time, where he didn’t jump well and didn’t finish off his race, and he tired quite badly on the soft ground in the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster last time.

Happier

He should be much happier back on better ground today, and back at Kempton, a flat track which suits him well, and where he put up the best performance of his career over hurdles. The handicapper has dropped him by 2lb to a mark of 137, just 2lb higher than the hurdles mark off which he ran such a big race at Kempton last March. He has the potential to go beyond that mark now over fences.

The final piece of the jigsaw is the fact that he has had another wind operation since he last ran. Three miles on goodish ground at a flat track in a big field probably represents close to optimal conditions for him, and he could out-run his odds by a fair way.

Casa Loupi could also out-run his odds in the Close Brothers Adonis Juvenile Hurdle earlier on the day.

Gary Moore’s horse has 30lb to find with Tritonic on flat ratings, but he only has a length to find with him on their running at Ascot last time on their respective debuts over hurdles, and the move to Kempton could allow him find that length.

His jumping was very good that day at Ascot, he set off in front, he skipped clear around the home turn and traded at 1.05 in-running before he was just caught by Tritonic close home.

That was Tritonic’s first run over hurdles and it was his first run since last October and, of course, he should improve for all of that. But it was Casa Loupi’s first run over hurdles and, while he jumped really well, he could improve for the move to Kempton, an easier track that Ascot, and for the move to better ground.

Casa Loupi doesn’t hold an entry in the Triumph Hurdle, this race has probably been his target since Ascot. There is a chance that he will face competition for the lead from French runner Margaret’s Legacy, but it is still easy to see him skipping along, up with the pace, and jumping well. If he can get into a nice rhythm early on, he might last all the way home this time.

Recommended:

Casa Loupi, 1 point win, 2.25 Kempton, 5/1 (generally)

The Butcher Said, 1 point each-way, 3.35 Kempton, 12/1 (generally)