Champagne Fever running out of fans

He was unlucky there,ran a great race,who knows what would have happened ?

Agree duffy,imo too early to know it was cooked,but surely be better in qm,winner a good horse aswell !

Don Cossacks ain't short of speed imo,just think front running round Cheltenham right up his street !

Thought Rich Ricci was spot on in his pre-race interview. They have asked him to run with the choke out most of his career and now asking him to settle to stay further isn't working, or going to work.

I agree, back to 2m and go quick from the front. Mind you, he has always shown his best in spring, and I still think WPM is under a cloud right now. Plenty running below par.

Why should he have put lengths between him turning in if he had the speed for 2 miles, it was 2 and a half today on bad ground, he was at the end of his tether when falling, it was a tired fall.

For me his strongest asset is that he is a strong galloper at 2 miles and on good ground his jumping is good too, he was a whisker away from winning the arkle and as I say I think that through the arkle walsh could have gone harder, particularly early on.

don't agree he was at the end of his tether myself walsh hadn't even gone for his stick fully...think it would of been close myself...

ryannair on better ground...should be another good race between the two

Sure is collector,backed him for qm for the last few week,glad he got up,who knows if not falling might have  out battled dc but somehow i doubt it !

Spring horse? He ran terrible at Punchestown.Hes still only won 2 chases.Talented no doubt,top class probably not

Yeah I got him at 10-1 NRNB a couple of weeks ago but I laid him today (I know aftertiming) cos it was only 3 weeks since he was knackered in a King George. Think the horse needs a break.

Mr Eboue - bang on. Beat the first 2 in the Champion Hurdle when he won the Supreme. Stable too obsessed with Hurricane Fly. He ballsed up C Fever's prep in the Arkle as well. Would it be him? Would it be Felix Yonger? Gave him 2 prep races and got found out.

Quick question! How many winners have came out of last years Arkle? In my opinion it was at best an average field. How many other front runners are lined up 2 run in this years Champion? Special Tiara, Uxizandre and others that will be stepping down in trip Al Ferof etc. In the Arkle he got the run of the race and still couldn't hold off a 33/1 shot! HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!!

I'm writing it i capitals cos everyone is looking at him through rose tinted glasses! Yes he won the bumper, supreme novices and was just beat in the Arkle but were are people getting the evidence from what he's done so far over fences that he could win the Chsmpion chase?? I just don't see it! I know I'll say that people are allowed their opinion but in this case it's based on fact! HE'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!

Who do you think can win the champion chase giggsy. The way I see it behind a returning to form Sprinter Sacre or Sire De Grugy Champagne Fever is the most likely winner. Yet you are mugging him off like he's ****

I suppose in 2010/11 Sizing Europe was beaten over 3m in the JN Wine, then beat in his next race and then went on to win the QMCC, so it has been done.

Another similarity with CF is both loved Cheltenham, and run better on good ground.

Then again, Sizing didn't have Sprinter to contend with, who I hope smashes them on Saturday.

I've backed CF for the Ryanair but might have a little 9's NRNB for the QMCC as a saver. Agree with Duffys comments above

I'm not saying he's **** as u call it! I've lost money enough times following a horse off a cliff to notice what people are doing. I've made excuses for a horse getting beat that convinced me 2 back it again just for it to get beat again. I'm not trying to take away or downgrade what he's done but u'll thank me if you don't back him for the Champion and he gets stuffed. He'll get taken on for the lead by Special Tiara etc and be done coming down the hill.

Chief, SE was one of the best 2 milers we've seen in recent years,and classy enough to cope with iffy preps,I ain't sure CF is anywhere near his class myself. But it is still early doors fo him and who knows how good he will eventually be,and I do agree that the QM is probably the best race for him to contest this year,and if SS and SDG ain't there he would have a fair chance imo.

Yeah Budd, not trying to compare the two ability wise, but both have had similar preps, and both love Cheltenham.

CF wouldn't need to be at his level though if SS doesn't turn up as Duffy says.

CF certainly saves his best performances for that hill on good ground.

Knackered at the last
Totally unbalanced
Needs a break

As for the horse,he ran well.

I won't be backing him anyway,but he's a chance in a weaker race than normal.if people fancy his chances without the stars I think that fair enough.Dodging bullets ain't no world beater and my fancy U xizandre did not run great the other day,then there's Balder and Tiara!! Race is wide open if the big two don't make it,and CF would be one with a chance with his liking for Cheltenham.

Haha. I think it comes down to Sprinter and/or SDG run = Dough Done. Both of the above missing and back to win = Decent chase of increasing dough.  Both of the above are missing and back to place = Very good chance of making a little dough. Runs in Ryanair = Dough Done.

Simples!!!!

Bit of a long one, so apologies.

I fell in love with racing in 93. Before that I already had an affection with the animal.
I have read many a book on the breed and watched many a film.
The horse is a flight animal. It runs from danger in a pack. This is key to horse racing. Some of them feel safe in the front of a pack, others in the pack and some in the rear.
Champagne Fever has won twice at the festival and been beaten a balls hair from the front. This tells me this is where he is happy. Leading.
To try and change this would be crazy.
Obviously to stay further he needs to settle but horses can lead and still run within themselves. People had suggested dropping him in in the King George. When history tells us prominent horses win that race.
He is a successful horse from the front and to change that would be madness.
I thought he ran well today. If I had to have had to bet what the out come would have been before his fall I would have sided with Don Cossack.
He has won two festival races and been butted in another. A very pleasing record.
Maybe he hadn't improved as much as others. In my limited 21 years of watching racing he wouldn't be the first to not scale the heights he once promised. Saying that he hardly has been a disappointment.
I take Ricci's comments about training him to front run with a pinch of salt. He obviously doesn't know anything about the flight animal that is the horse.