Day Two of The Festival™ was set to be a cracker and it certainly did not disappoint. On Wednesday 11 March, the popular grey star of Paul Nicholls’s yard, Politologue finally had his day in the sunshine as he came home in front in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at his fifth appearance at the Cheltenham Festival.
In a day full of stars, it was Champ by name and Champ by nature, as the JP McManus horse provided the most thrilling finish of the week. Champ came with a late surge up the Cheltenham hill under Barry Geraghty to take the spoils in the RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase. Dubbed a “Gold Cup” horse by his trainer Nicky Henderson, he is certainly one to keep an eye on next season.
Tiger Roll was back by popular demand as the people’s horse was roared around the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase under Keith Donoghue, only to be denied by the French-raider, Easysland who finished clear of the field – a horse that is fast becoming a specialist over the cross country fences for trainer David Cottin.