2011 Queen Mother Champion Chase Preview and Betting Selections

Favourite: Master Minded

Form Play: Woolcombe Folly

Value Play: Sizing Europe TBP

The feature contest on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival is shaping up to be an absolute classic. The best high-speed chasers on the planet will be contesting this one and the razor-sharp Master Minded enters the race undefeated, and looking to get revenge on Big Zeb who got the better of him in last year’s iteration of the race.

Dissecting Master Minded’s three efforts this year raises a number of questions. The first two scores, at Ascot and Cheltenham, were relatively straightforward contests where he made his usual late approach and won by a solid margin. However, the final race of his campaign saw him get a real reminder two out and then just hold on over Somersby. In my world, a contender at 2/1 for a big race like this should be beating a contender like Somersby a little easier than that.

Master Minded is not hitting close to his career-best figures and you just wonder whether he’ll be able to make a meal of this field should he show up in better form that we might have seen in the last one.

Big Zeb has been out three times this year and was just beaten by Golden Silver on their third face-off of the season in the Grade 2 Tied Cottage Stakes. Big Zeb was nearly there on the day at Punchestown but Golden Silver just got the better of him. The ten year-old son of Oscar likes Cheltenham, winning this race last year, but had previously won the Tied Cottage Chase as his prep. One wonders how much of a difference that will make. You’ll find Big Zeb decently-priced for a defending champion at around 3/1 with the bookies and 4.5 on the exchange.

Somersby is set to line up for this one and he’s obviously going to take some money, but he needs to put in the race of a lifetime to capitalize here. 6/1 looks far too short for me on a contender that doesn’t seem to find the line in high-class races as often as you’d like.

Woolcombe Folly has been lightly-raced this year, taking both contests he’s lined up in, but the lack of a graded score makes you wonder about how he’ll handle the likes of Master Minded and Big Zeb. He stepped up to the plate in the Arkle last year and was absolutely pounded, finishing 12/12 to Sizing Europe. He’ll need to run about 25-30 points higher from a ratings perspective to be a factor. I just don’t see it happening.

Sizing Europe looks a decent selection at 14/1 but has simply not hit the board at any point in this season. He hasn’t ducked anybody, but a loss to China Rock make syou wonder whether he has the chops to stay in the mix here. A second place to Kauto Star at Down Royal adds some credibility but he looks a better shot for the place market than anything else and you can back him on the exchange at around 4.3.

Keep your eyes on 10/1 Captain Cee Bee as he’s only been out twice this year and one of them was a rather poor effort at Leopardstown where he finished 4/4 to Big Zeb. He was not looking fluent at all and you reckon that a contender like him deserves a break now and then. His price shows that punters still have confidence in him and he famously beat Binocular in the Supreme Novices back in 2008. He’ll be taking money as he’s a genuine fan favourite but you wonder whether Punchestown shapes up a bit better for him. The fact remains that he could storm back here to run a monster.