New World Old Europe

The Ryanair Chase, which could have been happily contained in the four corners of the three day Festival... but enough! before the ranting starts. Goosfraba... Goosfraba...

Start again.

The Ryanair Chase seems likely to attract a big field this year, as trainers seek to avoid a clash with Champion Chaser elect, Sprinter Sacre.

This year's 2 mile Championship has only attracted 17 entries, and 10 of those are also in the Ryanair run over 2m 5f.

Will the Ryanair be won by a relative newcomer? Cue Card (6/1), perhaps, who at least gave Sprinter Sacre some sort of race in last year's Arkle?  Champion Court (10/1), so gutsy behind Sir Des Champs in last year's Jewson - and bold too when not getting home in this season's King George?  Will Grands Crus (12/1) and the sponsor's First Lieutenant (12/1) step back in trip now?

Or Flemenstar (4/1 if you ignore the 7s on "offer" at the risible non-bookmaker Sportingbet)? If he turned up, he'd surely go brutally close, but which race will he be running in? Gold Cup? Champion Chase? Ryanair? You can have a bet on that if you like.

Generally you'd expect the younger generation to come through, but I can't keep my eyes off the old timers in the race - the ten and overs FFS.  At the prices, I keep coming back to Finian's Rainbow and SIZING EUROPE. As well as a bus pass, they both have that all-important Cheltenham Festival winning form. And they're really no shorter in the market than the young guns of the new world. Indeed, they're a good bit bigger than Cue Card and Flemenstar.

Given all the doubts about who's running where, this is a bet tailor made for Victor Chandler's "non-runner free bet" promise (which is limited to a maximum of £50). Good news then that young Victor is top price about Finian's Rainbow (9/1) and Sizing Europe (10/1).

Finian's is a year younger, has considerably fewer miles on the clock & outstayed Sizing in last year's unsatisfactory Champion Chase. On the other hand Sizing's form this season has been astonishingly consistent for such an old boy, whereas poor old Finian's was all at sea on his only start in a mire at Ascot-on-the-Somme, and hasn't been seen since. Henderson will no doubt present him at the Festival in tip top shape, you can be reasonably certain of that. But I'm a great fan of Sizing Europe and at a slightly better price he just about gets the nod.

To add this race to his Arkle & Champion Chase... wouldn't that be something?  Maybe I'm getting too sentimental. Or as Bob Dylan once sang: "either I'm too sen-sit-hive, or else ah'm gettin' sahhhhft".

The legend that is Sizing Europe

Sizing Europe 1% or £50 (whichever is less) to win at 10/1 (Victor Chandler)