Last year saw the inaugural running of the Mares’ Chase, won in a pulsating finish by Colreevy. Andrew Mount is our man on hand to guide you through the market of this year’s renewal alongside Betfair’s exclusive Grow Your Roar offer, where new and existing customers can build up to £30 in Free Bets for the Cheltenham Festival.
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Willie Mullins’ eight-year-old has Cheltenham festival form of 212 (1-3), with the defeats by a short head in the 2019 Dawn Run and by a head in last year’s 2m4f Mares’ Hurdle. She’s two from two since switched to fences but hasn’t been entirely convincing in the jumping department..
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Last year’s narrow runner-up might have won had she challenged on the inside of Colreevy, who jumped markedly out to her right and came across her. She needed her comeback run when only third of four at Aintree and ran Mount Ida close at Fairyhouse next time. That run might also have been needed – she’s reportedly a stuffy sort who is hard to get fit at home – and she was also beaten on her first two starts last term. She got back to winning way at prohibitive odds in first-time cheekpieces at Naas and should be thereabouts.
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Gordon Elliott’s eight-year-old has form figures over fences of 3121311 (4-7), including victory in the Kim Muir over 3m2f here last season. She jumped markedly out to her right that day and has been campaigned exclusively on right-handed tracks since. She could be vulnerable now racing left-handed over a trip that is very much on the short side for her.
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Winner of the 2020 Arkle and last season’s Champion Chase, she lost her unbeaten Cheltenham Old Course record when only third of four to Nube Negara in the Shloer Chase in November and was miles behind Mount Ida when upped to 2m5.5f at Fairyhouse next time. She looks opposable on stamina grounds.
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Alan King’s eight-year-old has form figures in mares’ races of 1111511 (6-7), with the defeat in last season’s Dawn Run when best of the British-trained runners. She’s also run well in two Champion Bumpers, finishing fifth in Envoi Allen’s year when Thyme Hill (third) was the only Brit to beat her and eight of 23 to Ferny Hollow in 2020 when returning from almost a year off (she was third best of British that day behind Third Time Lucki and Ocean Wind). She’ll no doubt do best of the home contingent again and might actually give the Irish something to think about this time.
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The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained seven-year-old was running respectably prior to coming down three out in this race last year and is since unbeaten in three runs over trips of about 2m4f. She does tend to jump out to her right, however, and is a risky proposition.
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Mares’ Chase Verdict
Concertista heads the market and has plenty of festival form but she might not be as good over fences as she was over hurdles and preference is for last year’s runner-up ELIMAY. The Glancing Queen looks best of the British-trained runners and should be thereabouts.
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