Tingle Creek Chase 2021 Tips & Runners Guide: Five do battle in Sandown showpiece
Five horses will go to post for the Grade 1 Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown Park on Saturday afternoon, and Steve Chambers takes an in-depth look at the quintet, and picks out his predicted 1-2-3 for the 2m showpiece...
1. Captain Guinness - R Blackmore - H De Bromhead
Fresh from A Plus Tard's victory in the Betfair Chase, the deadly duo of Henry De Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore attempt to snaffle another British Grade 1 title and they will team up with Captain Guinness on Saturday. A smart novice hurdler, the six-year-old has taken time to warm up over fences (won 2 of 7 chases), but he was deemed classy enough to compete in the Arkle in March. Well beaten by Shishkin that day when finishing third, Captain Guinness appears to have improved significantly over the summer, as he returned to the track and bounded to a near five-length win in a Cork Grade 3. Open to more improvement, the Irish raider will need to kick on significantly from that Cork success, but is entitled to take his chance here and is an intriguing runner.
2. Chacun Pour Soi - Mr P Mullins - W Mullins
One of the stars of the Irish chasing scene, Chacun Pour Soi is already one of the leading contenders for the Queen Mother Champion Chase in March and he heads to Sandown Park as the one to beat. A four-times winner over fences last season, which included victories in two Grade 1 chases at Leopardstown and a fine win in the Grade 1 Punchestown Champion Chase, the Willie Mullins-trained raider failed to taste victory in the aforementioned Champion Chase, as he could only finish third behind Put The Kettle On and Nube Negra. Making only his second trip across the Irish Sea, the nine-year-old has shown to be a real class act when at his best, so if he can sparkle on his seasonal reappearance then it's hard to not see him play a primary role here, and it could be he proves too classy for his rivals.
3. Greaneteen - B Frost - P Nicholls
Paul Nicholls has trained the winner of the Tingle Creek a staggering 11 times and the Ditcheat handler will unleash two contenders at Saturday's event, and the pair will be spearheaded by Greaneteen, who ended last season by beating the mighty Altior in the Grade 1 Celebration Chase at Sandown Park. Sure to relish a return to the Esher track, Greaneteen will need to improve significantly from his first run of the season, where he was a disappointing fourth in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter at the start of the season. Giving lumps of weight away to his rivals, Greaneteen was beaten 21 lengths by Eldorado Allen, but a return to level weights and a drop back to two miles should help his chances. Having shown he can deliver at the highest level, Greaneteen has won five of his ten chases, and adds significant depth to the race, so has to be respected.
4. Hitman - H Cobden - P Nicholls
The second of the Nicholls runners, Hitman was another that competed in the aforementioned Haldon Gold Cup, and he was just touched off in second by Eldorado Allen. Receiving notable weight from his stablemate Greaneteen that day, he will have a hard task to frank the form now off level weights, but he has shown a decent level of form over the larger obstacles. A decent third placed finish behind the classy Protektorat in the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree at the back end of last season, Hitman will need to come on considerably now taking on his more experienced rivals here, but he has been placed in four of his six chase starts, so often fails to run a poor race, so is an eye-catching contender for the Nicholls team.
5. Nube Negra - H Skelton - D Skelton
A shock 20/1 winner of the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton last December, where he got the better of Altior, Nube Negra then showed his class when finishing a gallant runner-up behind Put The Kettle On in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. He may have finished ahead of Chacun Pour Soi that day at Prestbury Park, but he failed to frank the form when they clashed in the Punchestown Champion Chase, as the Irish raider bounded to an emphatic victory over the Dan Skelton-trained raider. Handed the task of the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham last month on his first start of the season, Nube Negra produced a faultless display to saunter to a six-length win over Politologue. Sure to come on for that run, he will have race fitness on his side, which is sure to be a huge positive against the returning Chacun Pour Soi, but he will need to put in a career best here, if he is to turn around the Punchestown form with the Irish hotpot.
Predicted 1-2-3
- Chacun Pour Soi
- Captain Guinness
- Nube Negra