it will be as bjg said earlier very interesting if sprinter sacre(is there anything out there that can?) is put under pressure in a race to see what he will find !

What is the entry fee at this stage? Surely it would be best to keep options open just in case SS doesn't get there.

Sprinter Sacre heads 26 entries for the £350,000 BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham on Wednesday, March 12th.

Nicky Henderson's charge is the 4/7 favourite with sponsor BetVictor to become the 12th dual winner of the two-mile chasing championship following a faultless 19-length demolition of Sizing Europe in last season's renewal. Sprinter Sacre went on to complete a memorable Grade One spring Festival hat-trick with victories in Aintree's Melling Chase and Punchestown's equivalent of the Champion Chase, but this season has not gone to plan.

The eight-year-old missed his intended reappearance in the BetVictor Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown Park on December 7 due to an unsatisfactory tracheal wash and was pulled up at halfway in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton Park on December 27. Post-race tests revealed he had an irregular heartbeat, but subsequent analysis indicated the problem had corrected itself.

With Sprinter Sacre absent or below par, last season's Grade Two Celebration Chase scorer Sire De Grugy (3/1) has established himself as a leading two-mile chaser with three victories from four starts this term. Gary Moore's eight-year-old stable star made light work of his rivals under top-weight at Chepstow in October and, after failing to concede 10lb to Kid Cassidy in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham in November, has come home the decisive winner of both the Grade One BetVictor Tingle Creek Chase and the Grade Two Desert Orchid Chase.

Henry de Bromhead is responsible for two of the nine Irish-trained entries, headed by 2011 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Sizing Europe, who has only finished out of the first two once in five starts at The Festival.

The 12-year-old also captured the 2010 Racing Post Arkle Chase and has filled the runner-up spot in the last two renewals of the BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Chase. He made a successful reappearance at Gowran Park in October, but proved no match for Roi Du Mee when second in the three-mile Champion Chase at Down Royal in November or when fourth to Benefficient (10/1) after being dropped back sharply in trip at Leopardstown on December 27.

De Bromhead reported: "Hopefully, Sizing Europe will run in either the BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Chase or the Ryanair Chase. They are provisional entries and we are not leaning either way at this stage.

"He has been fine since his run at Leopardstown. He was a little disappointing and didn't really attack his fences as he normally does, but there were various reasons with the ground being the main one. He will go straight to Cheltenham now and hopefully he can bounce back."

Sizing Europe is joined among the entries by his improving stable companion Special Tiara, who sprung a surprise when beating Overturn in the Grade One Maghull Novices' Chase at Aintree in April. The lightly-raced seven-year-old unseated Bryan Cooper on his seasonal return at Naas in October, but bounced back with an encouraging third to Kid Cassidy and Sire De Grugy in the Shloer Chase at The Open.

De Bromhead added: "The BetVictor Champion Chase is a race we are very much looking at for Special Tiara. We were delighted with his run at Cheltenham where the ground there was still a little bit soft for him.

"He has been in great form since then and we were going to run him at Christmas, but the ground went against him everywhere, so we decided to wait.

"He's in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot next Saturday (January 18) and he might go there depending on ground or otherwise he will run in the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown at the beginning of February."

The Irish contingent also features the Willie Mullins-trained pair of Arvika Ligeonniere (14/1) and Twinlight (14/1), last season's Racing Post Arkle Chase runner-up Baily Green, dual Festival scorer Alderwood and Paddy Power Gold Cup third Hidden Cyclone (12/1).

Timeform Ratings for the Champion Chase (weight-adjusted)
203p SPRINTER SACRE
178 AL FEROF
177+ SIRE DE GRUGY
176 ARVIKA LIGEONNIERE
173 RIVERSIDE THEATRE
171+ BENEFFICIENT
171 SOMERSBY
170 HIDDEN CYCLONE
167+ CAPTAIN CONAN
167 OISEAU DE NUIT

This is good stuff!

For some, it's a no-bet-until the day race for others it's a real ante-post opportunity.

If SS turns up on the day (without a prep race) does he still win? You're still taking an almighty chance that his 'condition' doesn't re-assert itself mid-race a la Tingle Creek.

I bet there are a few more connections willing to bet the latter; certainly more than if he'd won the Tingle Creek with his head in his chest.

He will run.

Trainer Nicky Henderson expects the final decision over Sprinter Sacre's participation in the BetVictor Queen Mother Champion Chase to be made within the next 10 days.

Henderson has endured a torrid time this season with the current champion, who lost his unbeaten record over fences when he pulled up at Kempton over Christmas with an irregular heartbeat.

It has been a slow, gradual process trying to build him back up and while everything is on target so far, the Seven Barrows handler stressed Sprinter Sacre will not run at the Cheltenham Festival unless he was 100 per cent happy.

"He either runs in the Champion Chase or we put him away for next season," Henderson told BetRacingNation TV.

"He worked on Wednesday and I was pleased with him. He wears a heart monitor in all his work and he's wired up to Newmarket. I have the results back within an hour, it's all perfectly OK.

"We've got work to do and I would think it will be another 10 days before we finally make the decision.

"He could go to Kempton on Friday week or even Newbury (next) weekend as I wouldn't mind him jumping some fences on a racecourse.

"Captain Conan is in good order and I think he will finish up running in the Champion Chase whether Sprinter is there or not, and Kid Cassidy will almost certainly run in it, too, so we might be three-handed.

"Sprinter will only run if he is back to what we consider his very best. If he is, to be fair, unless I get this wrong, he is the one they all have to beat. It will be difficult to beat him if he is back and if he's not back I won't run him."

Odds on here for win and place very close.

I think Henderson needs him running and they will do everything to get him there.

From looking, at the end of last season, as though he would be almost certain to have a stellar season again this time round, Nicky Henderson looks short of anything going into Cheltenham with much degree  of a winning chance, Bobs Worth aside.

what a complete load of tosh from hendo its defo running.horse is flying and looking fantastic,if you believe what luke Harvey has been saying and I think he`d no`s cos he`s big pals with fitzy he said its a certainty aslong as it stands on its feet which if you no your racing its probably the best jumper we have ever seen.so don't get put off by the sneaks comments

And a nice price for the backers

Sprinter continues to drift win and place.

Kid Cassidy 33s on here and trainer says he's running.

oh great start 4 Cheltenham all my anti post bets down in 1 go had ss with everything just ****en typical you tsser henderson

Sire De Grugy looks awful short to me now - I know it's only two runs over fences at the track and he was trying to give Kid Cassidy 10lbs but even so...