THE Gold Cup winner Don Cossack heads the Anglo-Irish NH classifications for the second year running with the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup hero winning the end of season seal of approval from the senior handicappers of Britain and Ireland.
The nine-year-old topped the official rankings with a rating of 175 last year, the Gordon Elliott-trained Don Cossack this time took the overall crown with a mark of 177.
The Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding’s Gold Cup victory was his final start of the 2015-2016 campaign due to a tendon injury suffered in the build-up to the Punchestown Festival that threatened to end his career.
The rating of 177 puts him level with the likes of Best Mate, Kicking King and not far from 2012-2013 winner Bobs Worth who was rated 180 in the list of the greatest chasers.
King George winner Cue Card, a faller three out in the Gold Cup, is rated a pound below Don Cossack, a second last fence faller at Kempton when Cue Card beat Vautour by a head. Both are on 176 in the three mile+ category.
The 2015 Gold Cup winner Coneygree was restricted to one run but that earned him a rating of 168 a pound behind Irish Gold Cup and Punchestown Gold Cup winner Carlingford Lough. Interestingly for those who championed Don Poli as a Gold Cup contender and in the light of Bryan Cooper’s dilemma in making the right choice, the official handicappers rate Don Poli (165) some 12lb behind the Gold Cup winner.
SPRINTER BEST OF REST
Sprinter Sacre, winner of the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase and Sandown’s Celebration Chase was unsurprisingly unveiled as champion two-mile chaser for the second time with his 175 rating giving him top spot in a division he last headed three years ago with a remarkable 188.
Nicky Henderson somehow got him back to close to his best and he was unbeaten in his four runs.
Vautour was the intermediate distance champion on 173, despite ending his season with an Aintree fall and Punchestown defeat, while his Willie Mullins-trained stablemate Douvan was top novice chaser on 169, the record-equalling mark Sprinter Sacre hit as a novice four years ago.
Douvan was rated 10lb ahead in the novice category and it’s unlikely he will be threatened by his contemporaries as sadly three of the four next highest rated novices will not be in action next season. No More Heroes was lost at Cheltenham, Aintree winner Arzal died after he caught an infection following his win and Grand National winner Rule The World has been retired. It leaves Black Hercules (159) as his biggest rival from this year’s novices.
One of the Mullins stars to perhaps disappoint, Un De Sceaux is rated 171, a pound ahead of Gold Cup runner-up Djakadam. Douvan is 2lb behind Un De Sceaux but it’s doubtful were they to face up to each other that bookmaker odds would reflect that.