Champion trainer, Paul Nicholls, enjoyed a fine day at the
office at the weekend, sending out four winners at Cheltenham’s showcase
December fixture, amongst them the exciting young chaser Unioniste, who ran
away with the ultra-competitive Paul Stewart IronSpine Charity Challenge Cup
Handicap Chase and looks a particularly attractive long-term prospect.
Despite stable conditional rider, Harry Derham, riding at
just 9st 9lbs, Unioniste (15/2) was still carrying 6lbs more than his long
handicap weight.
However, punters should surely have taken the hint that
Nicholls would hardly have risked jeopardising a potentially lenient mark by
running placed or close to the principals, if he didn’t think the ex-French
gelding would give a very good account of himself against older and more
experienced horses.
On only his third start since joining the Ditcheat handler
in the summer after winning in good style at Auteuil in March, Unioniste was
patiently ridden at the rear of the field before starting his move racing into
the final mile of the two-mile-five-furlong contest run on heavy ground.
After taking up the running going well after the third last,
the son of Dom Alco was joined by the favourite, Walkon, at the penultimate
fence but pulled out extra in receipt of 17lbs and stayed on strongly all the
way to the line to eventually record an impressive 11 length success.
There is little doubt that his previous rating of 143 is
going to be but a distant memory once the handicapper sits down and fully
assesses this performance.
Nicholls may have to look to graded company in the future
and the top novice events such as the Grade 1 RSA Chase, (for which he has been
introduced as a 20/1 shot), or the Jewson Novices Chase (12/1), at the Betfair Cheltenham Festival in March.
Returning to the present, make sure you get your slips in
soon if you’re thinking of indulging in some festive King George Chase betting.
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