Special Tiara

25th-Apr-2015

I am backing Special Tiara in the Celebration Chase. I have been hoping to be able to back him here since his run in the Champion Chase, and odds of 4/1 or 7/2 are more than fair in my book.

Henry de Bromhead’s horse ran a cracker at Cheltenham. He bowled along at a strong pace and, although several of his rivals disappointed, he still did well to keep on as well as he did to go down by just three lengths into third. He was headed by Dodging Bullets turning for home, but he battled back and was level again over the final fence before just having to give best to Dodging Bullets and Somersby up the hill.

He jumped accurately there, and the jumping test that Sandown provides should really suit him. He was third in this race last year (when he ran much better than he had in the Champion Chase beforehand) and he shapes like a better horse now. His two most recent runs have probably been the best two runs of his life.

On top of that, last year he had an on-song Sire De Grugy to contend with, whereas this year neither Sire De Grugy nor the Champion Chaser Dodging Bullets are running, and Sprinter Sacre obviously has massive questions to answer. The ground is right for him, and he should have it all to himself up front. Four of his six rivals are hold-up horses and neither of the other two are front-runners.

Henry de Bromhead’s horses always deserve respect when he takes them to Britain, and Special Tiara should go well today. If he gets into a rhythm early on, he could be very hard to peg back, and Noel Fehily, who rode him in the Champion Chase, is a really good booking again.

SPECIAL TIARA WON (ADV 7/2, SP 3/1)

Back