^ Fair points.

I should say I'm basing my opinion on SS being poor value on the assumption that Al Ferof and Peddlers Cross will both run in the Arkle (along with Cue Card, Menorah, Blackstairmountain etc.).

I personally expecy Al Ferof to run well on Saturday but finish an honourable third or fourth and that will tell connections they have to be in the Arkle, not the Queen Mother. As before, I'm convinced we didn't see the real Peddlers on the 27th and think he will be a much bigger threat in March.

Having said this, I do suspect Sprinter trades lower than 5/2 before the off, even if the others do line up, as just have a feeling he will be hammered in the build-up. So from that angle, the 5/2 is not bad value - I just think it is holistically. I stand by my earlier assessment and, at this stage, have him at something like 7/2 - 4/1.

Despite being a SS fan and having had a little bit on before he beat PC, I am reluctant to take 5/2 today as it is 2 months till the race, he could have a setback or the ground could go deep which will definitely not suit him.

I do expect the field for this race to cut up. If the top 4 in the betting stand their ground, there's not a lot of prize money for the rest as I expect them to fill the first 4 places home. Not very original I know but they appear a class above the remainder.

From the man who rode Moscow Flyer Barry Geraghty believes Sprinter Sacre is one of the best horses he has ever ridden after his keynote victory over Peddlers Cross in the Novices' Chase at Kempton.

NICKY HENDERSON also holds the five-year-old in the highest regard, and it was easy to see why following the gelding's 16-length defeat of odds-on favourite Peddlers Cross.

The ball quickly went into Sprinter Sacre's court when his rival belted the first. Geraghty then found himself in front and elected to press on, often getting some spectacular leaps from the free-going Sprinter Sacre. But, equally, the 11/10 winner was very good when getting in close, as he showed when jumping the final fence off his hocks.

Geraghty said: "He was all wrong at the last but was clever at it. He jumped from fence to fence and is a horse that gets your blood up. He's got the right combination of pace and respect for his fences. He's one of the best I've ever sat on -- he is frighteningly good."

You say that like it is a negative, Booster. Finians Rainbow finished a respectable second in the Arkle. What's wrong with that? SS just needs to go 1 place better.

And for as much as BJG was bullish about FR last season, he was totally justified as the horse has won 5 chases from 6 starts. And I dont believe he ever compared him to Moscow Flyer. Dont remember him doing so anyway.

why do you think that sounds like a negative Sint,could just as easily be a positive question.

You getting all defensive mate??

That's rich budd

Whatever comparisons have been made between FR and SS are irrelevant.

SS is already officially rated 4lbs superior after just 2 races over fences, is a much younger and less exposed horse with scope for considerable improvement.

This will be a much better race than last year's Arkle. Captain Chris was rated 160 after his victory and I suspect all of the first 4 in the betting this year would have beaten him. SS is certainly not unbeatable for this will be a competitive race but it will probably require a performance rating approaching 170, assuming he has luck in running and the ground isn't soft. This level is very heady stuff for a novice - Moscow Flyer and Viking Flagship territory.

I dont think 2 at Kempton would of suited Al Ferof any better than it did Peddlars Cross. He looks like a 3 mile chaser to me. Reminds me of Noland, won a Supreme where they went for home too early but Arkle proved to sharp for him.

I guess I was really saying it as a negative but Geraghty was very bullish about Finians Rainbow last year. In  a much weaker renewal than this year's looks like being and with the race run to suit he still couldn't hold off a stronger stayer and I feel the same could happen to this year's horse. Finians Rainbow was a stronger stayer over hurdles and couldn't hold on but these type of horses are always going to feel good at home and in small fields as they are the quickest around being pure 2 milers but may not be seen to their best at Cheltenham in a championship race.

Finians Rainbow was also pretty fortunate to  win at Aintree after and that form doesn't look great. It's just that  I'd rather back a horse who's finished off a race there if I'm taking a shortish price and both Al Ferof and Peddlers cross have already done so in the highest class. Captain Chris had not previously done so and I therefore conclude that 5-2 is too short.

SS also has to prove he isnt a flat track bully.

AF doesnt.

That's really my point in  a nutshell and jockeys and trainers aren't always the best people to listen to. Form at the festival speaks louder for  me and I think Al Ferof and Peddlers Cross are tough opponents.

It's a fair point but you could say that chases are run slower than hurdle races so he may have more time between obstacles.

I thought he got outpaced in the Supreme when the race got serious and I found it strange how For Non Stop, a horse who also seems to need further, closed on him at Sandown. I would concede that he certainly wouldn't of been cherry ripe that day.
Should be interesting to see him in the Victor Chandler, Henderson would have a fair line through him with Finians as he did through Peddlars with Minella Class.

I think AF was outpaced to a degree in the supreme,but we have to consider the jockeys in this.Whilst Mccoy and Tizzard went as if it was a 1m6f race,walsh realised it was actually 2m.So on that basis i think we have to be careful in thinking that AF will simply get outpaced and wont win,and that Ruby actually paced the race much better.
Watch BG on Spirit Son,he ran the race pretty well and judged it fine,but AF sped past him up that hill.

As for comparisms with Noland,yes the supreme victories can be compared,but Noland then had a year off the track with problems before his Arkle,so pinch of salt required there i think.

Barnesy,
If the Arkle is the same sort of race as the Sandown race that would not be ideal for AF,but with Cue Card and Sprinter running the Arkle should be run just how AF wants it.
Whether he will win the race,who knows,but would rather have 7 on him than 5/2 SS,its a lot closer than that imo

The way the Kempton race panned out with PC clouting the 1st and never really going as we know he can,i would personally have expected both AlFerof and Cue Card to have won that race pretty comfortably.

Think those comments i posted earlier started that Sint.

Here is a piece from Nick Mordins blog & whilst I'm not saying he is right about everything the times tell you a lot about Sprinter Sacre's performance..



SPRINTER SACRE IS BRILLIANT

SPRINTER SACRE (43) put up one of the best performances we've seen from a novice chaser in years when winning the Wayward Lad Novices Chase at Kempton. He set s scorching pace and just kept on running.

Sectional times show just how good this performance was. Sprinter Sacre got to the last on the far side (four out) 4.7 seconds before Finians Rainbow did in the Desert Orchid Chase on the same card and extended his advantage to six seconds by the finish.

As with almost all top class two mile chasers Sprinter Sacre is probably best fresh. So I'd like to see a gap of at least five weeks between his remaining starts this term now that he's had a couple of outings.

I can readily understand why the bookies cut Sprinter Sacre to 5-2 for the Arkle. That race is surely his.

In the long run it will be very interesting to see if Sprinter Sacre can stretch his stamina to three miles. That might sound like a silly idea right now seeing that he got beat the only time he tried longer than two miles. But he actually ran a very decent second that day and is built and bred to stay at least two and a half miles.

Sprinter Sacre's two winning siblings have won cross country chases over 2m 5f and 3m respectively and his sire has produced Rubi Ball who won the Prix la Haye Jousselin (the French King George) over 3m 3.5 furlongs.

What gives me confidence that Sprinter Sacre will get longer is the way he sustained such a strong gallop all the way to the line. This being so I wouldn't assume the Champion Chase will be his big target next season if he takes the Arkle this term. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him aimed at the King George.

I suggested after his last start that runner up PEDDLERS CROSS (35) might well regress if he was brought back to the races within five weeks. However it's hard to argue that lack of freshness was the main reason for his wide margin loss here. The winner had him at full stretch right from the start and beat him for pace. This being so it wasn't surprising to hear that he will now be going up in distance.

At the end of the day PC hit the first but he was torn to pieces afterwards. I find it quite laughable how people are trying to play down the Wayward Lad. It's by far the best novice performance this season. People can say Sprinter Sacre is a poor price compared to Al Ferof but he has far superior form.

MM. With all due respect, it comes across as very patronising to say we cant discuss and dissect the Wayward Lad performance. It certainly isnt 'laughable'. Comparing times are always dangerous and you cannot guarantee that SS has superior form. The only way you cxould say that, is if you knew how close to his true form PC performed.

Nobody is doubting he was very impressive. And it would be great if we had a new 2 mile superstar. But there are enough reasons to me to suggest the difference in price between AF and SS are wrong based on what they have achieved. You might diagree with that, and thats your opinion. But I think AF at 7's is a much better bet.

A small field 2 mile chase around Kempton is a completely different test to the Arkle.

Yes it is relevant to the debate CCM, for sure. I just could not imagine AF beating PC at Kempton in those circumstances by 16 lengths unextended. That's all im saying. He may have done it by 8 or so. But that really is a big big assumption to make.

I can see that Sint and take your point!

But its a similarly huge assumption to say SS has better form imo. The Donny run proved nothing more than he was still alive, so everything about SS is being based on one run, essentially against one rival, who may or may not have under performed.

I'm not being patronising just my honest opinion. The Wayward Lad has been described as an "egg & spoon race" and whilst I respect all opinions I don't agree with that. It ended up being a 3 runner event but many horses ended up ducking out because connections were scared to take either on. You can't really help that. Then yourself & Bud claim that other horses could have done the same thing. Like I say I respect opinions but I've seen nothing to suggest any other novice can beat PC by 16 lengths eased down on the bridle yet. What has been the best 2 mile novice performance you have seen this season?

In reply to Sir_Arry. The fact he was so far ahead 4 out would suggest that the runners in the Desert Orchid went slow which we saw visually. The fact they went slow and quickened into a sprint for the finish suggests they should have closed on him. Given Sprinter Sacre had done a lot more early in the race and eased down towards the line again would point to the runners in the Desert Orchid closing on him on the clock. He actually increased his lead by another 2 seconds. While I don't take times & sectionals as the be all & end all especially in NH racing it does confirm the run was as good as it looked. I'm not saying running a fast time around Kempton will win an Arkle but it does confirm he's a pretty serious horse.