Sizing Europe

cudnt agree more. totally messed this horse up this year n now doesnt jump quickly enuff 4 champion chase. ryanair ideal race this year esp if they still see him as a future gold cup contender

The last 11 previous Arkle winners to contest the Champion Chase the following season have all placed at least.I agree it looks unlikely but this is a massive stat and he is a big price

I think its fair to say, that connections have made a complete mess of his campaign this season. I suspect its  the owners more than the trainer, with their apparent obsession of turning him into a Gold Cup horse.

Ryanair perfect for this horse, doesn't quite stay 3m and isn't quick enough to win a Champion Chase. 2m 5f perfect. Has a bit of class as well as course form. Now he's gonna see right up Big Zeb and Master Minded's backsides from a long way out.

He had Somersby cooked a long way out in last years Arkle. No forlorn hope and looking against the crowd he'd be a lively enough outsider.

Completely agree Hussard, Backed him myself this morning at 16/1 NRNB. I don't think we have seen the best of him this year for various reasons and going back to Cheltenham on better ground will see an improvement. On Arkle form he shouldn't be twice the price of Somersby and with question marks over the market principles i believe 16/1 is good value.

Doesn't seem to be the popular opinion on here, but I actually think SE is a 2 miler, and, given good ground, may get into the places in the CC.

think its fair enough he is running in this,2m is his distance at Cheltenham i feel,trouble is BZ is different class!!  imo of course

ACStafford I agree with you entirely. I was quite vocal in saying they were crazy to go for 3m but seemed to be in the minority on here.

I personally think this is a good decision. Had enough speed to win an Arkle and this is the best race for him imo. I'll definitely be a backer.

beenn looking for a saver in this,in case Zeb has an off day,and SE could well be the one.So impressive last year,course seemed to suit him well,and if he can overcome a rather bizarre campaign hes had this season,he could well run a big race.

cannot understand why people say this horse is not quick enough for 2 miles.  Did you watch the Arkle last season?  He jumped quickly and acurately but more importantly barely got home up the hill so can't for the life of me understand why you'd want to go down Ryanair route?  think the champion chase is correct race and i'd be surprised if he doesn't place.

I make this years an above average Champion Chase and don't believe Sizing can make the frame, he'll be a place lay for me.
I'll be backing Max at 80s before I back Sizing Europe

I'd definitely be backing Mad Max if he arrived on the day at that sort of price, but I reckon he'll probably be aimed at the Grand Annual, a race that Henderson always targets since it was named after his father.

very strange decision by connections,especially after his last run,didnt look up to much last time out,if your not up to beating golden silver you may forget about winning a champion chase imo

last run was a prep imo.

reckon Somersby has improved since the Arkle however and will beat him this time. Giving Sizing's age and long hurdle career it's hard to see where any improvement can come from, but agree this is the right race for him.

Biggest problem Sizing Europe has is the person who decided to start running him at every distance under the sun. Trainer or owner I don't know but I cringed when there was talk of him taking on Kauto Star in the King George. As it turned out Kauto was all wrong on the day but that doesn't excuse the madness behind that decision.

Sizing Europe in may people's eyes would have won the Champion Hurdle but for going wrong during the race. He did win the Arkle so speed isn't an issue with him. The natural thing to do would have been to aim him at the QMCC but instead they go chasing the best chaser seen anywhere in 40 odd years.

Sizing Europe has a very high cruising speed but over longer distances that cruising speed becomes that bit slower and less of a effective weapon IMO over 2 miles he can comfortable cruise through his races and doesn't need to find an awful lot to go on and win.

Definitely the right choice running him over two miles again but no point to them for getting it right, eventually.

Well hes a bit behind Zeb so has to find something there.

Can't beat Big Zeb or Master Minded surely?? Aint won a race this year either - can't be a good stat for a Champion Chase?

His chances of winning the QMCC have been greatly dmimished because for three quuarters of the season he has been trained to get 3 miles. His last race was a prep, it had to of been ? and they are now campaigning him at the right trip, but it will have had an affect as to his chances for sure , imo.

*diminshed

totally agree with above post..given the record of prev arkle winners ,and in light of somersbys performances ,surely he should have been given the chance to be trained for qmum?

I'll be having a bet on SE, Arkle winners usually do well here

if your not up to beating golden silver you may forget about winning a champion chase imo

Not sure I agree with this comment! Golden Silver is a class act, and given his ideal conditions in Ireland, is a very tough horse to beat. Dont think he'd ever win a QMCC, but thats a different issue imo. By that rationale Big Zeb wont be winning either htis year then?

Agree with everything below. I'll still be backing SE, but cant help but feel his chnace has gone due to the decisions that have already been made.

Mordin reckons he won last years Arkle as the leaders went off too quick and there was a pace collapse. At this stage I tend to agree with him as Captain Cee Bee would have beaten him at Leopardstown if he'd stood up in Dec 09, and he led to second last at the Punchestown festival until the speed horses left him for dead. He looked outpaced the last day as well for me even though he needed the race. I think De Bromhead probably knows he lacks a gear these days. Few trainers in recent years immediately step up an Arkle winner in trip, I think this fact is telling

You have to go back to Marthas Son in 1997 to find the last Champion Chase winner who had failed to win a race in that season and who went on to win the champion chase in the that season.This has to be seen as a negative to the chances of both Sizing Europe and Somersby

I'm so pissed off what they have done with this chap. His round of jumping and high cruising speed in the Arkle last year made him a Champion Chase contender straight away. He needed to improve a bit but that comes with experience. The trouble is now is he has been messed about he has got used to running and jumping slowly which is not good. Why they went for the King George I have no idea!?

It could be that connections made a mistake in trying to turn Sizing into a 3 miler and that he has been a genuine two miler all along.The rating ran to on his latest and only start this year over two miles this season was better than either of the other two runs over further earlier in the season.He has only ever been beaten once in grade one company over fences at two miles and that may have come after the excertions of a long season may have taken their toll at Punchestown in the spring.His latest run and only start at the trip was far from dissapointing imo against Golden Silver who excels in soft ground and the current two mile champion Big Zeb.There may be questions to answer with Sizing at the moment but there are also quite a few positives regarding his chance and current price

Sizing Europe didnt run in the King George did he?

No but they trained him for it.

Magic, yes i'd agree with what you say there and his last run, given it was his first run back over 2 miles have been previously raced over 3 miles twice previouslt, can only have been a prep race. It was a sighter imo to get his eye in again.

But he still has to find the improvement to turn things around with the likes of Big Zeb & MM and given his campaign it wont be straight forwards.