Grade One Celebration Chase Guide

The seven year old for Henry De Bromhead has been an improving project over the last few years with the mare winning eight of her last 10 events since May 2019.

Last season the daughter of Stowaway was nothing short of superb running four times and winning three of those events including back to back wins at Prestbury Park.

Having scored at Wexford in September she then went into a Grade Three event at Tipperary and was a narrow second in a race she really should have won.

However, she improved massively for that experience when stepping up to the Grade Two Arkle Trial at Cheltenham and seeing off three smart runners to land the event.

The mare was waited on patiently again and was not seen until March when sent into the Grade One Arkle at the festival and at a double figure price became the first mare to win the event for 40 years.

Having her first run since the festival she returned for her seasonal debut in the Grade Two Shloer Chase over the same course and distance and again put in a gritty performance to land the contest, seeing off Defi Du Seuil, Duc Des Genievres and Riders Onthe Storm.

She was then seen last time out over Christmas at Leopardstown finishing a fair third behind the favourite Chacun Pour Soi in a Grade One over two miles.

Put The Kettle On headed back to her beloved Cheltenham and put in a career best performance to keep her unbeaten record at the track to land the Champion Chase.

Off the back of that run she heads into this as the clear favourite with anything matching that performance seeing tough to beat, but being away from Cheltenham makes her more beatable.

Altior has been a horse of a lifetime for Seven Barrows, being a four time Cheltenham festival winner, taking out the Supreme Novices' Hurdle, Arkle and the Queen Mother Champion Chase twice.

Having been set to try and land his third consecutive Champion Chase last season he was pulled out of the race due to a setback and only returned at Christmas having almost a year off the track.

One of the biggest shocks of the season came when the superstar was beaten for the second time in his career by 20/1 shot Nube Negra, with the 10 year old struggling from a long way out.

Henderson was quick to defend his horse after the race and got rid of any assumptions that retirement was looming for the star, but it now looks as though the handler had a genuine excuse for his horse not running to his usual level, with the gelding returning a dirty scope.

Since then he has not been seen, missing the Champion Chase with a small setback and should be fresh for this event and if being at his best looks to be a nice price at 9/4

The eight year old has been tried over both hurdles and fences during his career and although winning races like the Shloer Chase and Henry VIII Novices' Chase over the bigger obstacles, last term showed that he may need to step back to hurdles.

This has now seen his handler move him back to the smaller obstacles this term and it looked to be the right move off the back of his seasonal debut when taking the Welsh Champion Hurdle.

He used that run to the go on and land the the Grade Two Elite Hurdle at Wincanton next time out and then ran another cracker in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle finishing second to Champion Hurdle winner Epatante when stepping up to Grade One company.

Having been frequently run already this season, King still entered him for the International Hurdle at Cheltenham in December and he ran another superb race to finish a closely bunched fourth.

With the versatile horse predominantly running this season over hurdles, King gave him his chance over fences over Christmas in the Desert Orchid Chase.

Unfortunately it was a disaster with him falling early on in the race, but he bounced back from that next time out when seeing off Champ in the Grade Two Game Spirit Chase at Newbury.

He then used that run to finish a close up fifth in the Champion Chase last time out and although consistent he will have to go son to beat the top two in the market.

Having been a smart horse over hurdles, last term the gelding showed he was even better over fences when landing three of his five events and also finishing a good fourth in the Grand Annual Chase at the Cheltenham festival.

He seems to be a much different horse this term, maturing massively during the summer and now is a very smart chaser at two miles.

He proved how much he had improved on his seasonal debut at Exeter when grinding out the Grade Two Haldon Gold Cup from Moonlighter, who has gone on to win since.

Nicholls then decided to step him up to Grade One company in the Tingle Creek Chase and he ran a cracker behind stablemate Politologue to finish runner up in the event.

Next time out in the Game Spirit Chase he was a weak third of six, but he put that behind him in the Champion Chase when a close up fourth behind Put The Kettle On.

It does look tough for him to reverse the form with the mare, but having performed well here in the Tingle Creek you wouldn't put it past him getting in the placings.

The Ann Hamilton trained Nuts Well is a very classy performer, that ran a cracker rstepping up in class last time out, but looks to have it all to do again down in trip.

The gelding has won five of his last six events over fences, with his biggest scalps coming on both his runs this term when taking a nice Handicap Chase at Kelso on seasonal debut and then last time out taking the Old Roan Chase at Aintree in October.

When landing that Grade Two he saw off Clondaw Castle who franked the form up in trip when second in the Betway Bowl last time out.

Saved since October for a return to Aintree, the gelding finished a superb second behind Fakir D'oudairies in the Grade One Melling Chase.

That looks extremely strong form, beating some smart horses home that day and if handling the drop in trip could be a big price.

Ornua is now a 10 year old veteran that has seen it all in this division, being an extremely smart horse back in the day winning the Grade One Maghull Novices' Chase at Aintree in 2019.

Since then he has raced 16 times and he got off the mark again for the first time in over two years when taking a Veterans Handicap Chase at Wexford.

A superb horse of old, but now looks heavily outclassed and may also want further in his older age.

It would be a huge shock to see him win.

Nicholls second runner in the race is the eight year old Dolos, who has always threatened to be a smart horse but ultimately hasn't performed when he has needed to.

The gelding has been seen four times this season, finishing a tame fourth on seasonal debut at Cheltenham in a Handicap Chase in October and then finishing in the same position when upped in Grade for the Peterborough Chase again at Prestbury Park.

He was a much better second next time out behind Moonlighter who franked the form of Greaneteen, but then put in another poor performance when last of the six runners in the Grade Two Game Spirit Chase.

Overall he looks like an average handicapper stepping up for a black type race.

Opposable