Europe looks in a league of his own

Cheltenham Festival spotlight

OF all the short-priced favourites set to run at this week’s Cheltenham Festival, Sizing Europe looks the most bombproof.

Barring a fall or juddering mistake, I simply can’t envisage any result but an easy success for the 10-year-old in tomorrow’s Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Last year’s winner and 2010 Arkle Chase hero loves this course and distance, the better ground he encounters at Cheltenham and habitaully peaks in the spring.

It’s not just those factors which maks me believe Sizing Europe is a must bet for your doubles and trebles tomorrow.

Having studied the field for this race, I can’t find another horse which will get him off the bridle, let alone force him to pull out all the stops.

There is a dearth of top-class two-milers around at the moment, although Sprinter Sacre, today’s Arkle Chase favourite, could change all that when this race comes around again next year..

Big Zeb won the Champion Chase in 2010, but was firmly put in his place by Sizing Europe last year and nothing that has happened since suggests he can reverse the placings.

Third favourite Finian’s Rainbow is a weak finisher whom I’m happy to oppose, so there could be some value in one or two of the bigger-priced horses such as Wishfull Thinking, who has the class to go well if his breathing problems have been sorted. But he and the rest are surely playing for places.

The Coral Cup is its usual minefield, but there are horses in this which catch my eye, most notably Jonjo O’Neill’s It’s A Gimme and the 2010 winner Spirit River.

The former also has an entry in the County Hurdle on Friday, but the two miles, five furlongs of this race looks ideal for this strong finisher and I prefer him to his stable companion, Get Me Out Of Here.

Spirit River has been trying his hand, without success, at chasing.

Some horses never take to the bigger obstacles and Spirit River is one of them, but he is high-class over hurdles and is not at all badly handicapped in this contest.

The Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle revolves around Vendor, whom trainer Alan King reckons is thrown in at the weights.

And if you are still punting by race seven on a fantastic card, I suggest you split your stake on two of the top English challengers, New Year’s Eve and Royal Guardsman. Both are well fancied by connections.