Results & Reviews / Timeform / 16 March 2012 / 1

Day two of the Cheltenham Festival belonged to Nicky Henderson, who saddled four of the seven winners including Finian's Rainbow in the Champion Chase. Timeform look back at the action and reveal their provisional performance ratings for the winners...

Nicky Henderson has had a few downs in his training career - most notably when banned for three months in 2009 - but many more ups, and the second day of the 2012 Cheltenham Festival came decidedly into the latter category.

Henderson trained four of the winners, the first three partnered by Barry Geraghty, with pride of place going to Finian's Rainbow in the centrepiece Champion Chase.

It was a gripping contest, with early fallers and only two - Finian's Rainbow and the reigning champion Sizing Europe - counting from a long way out.

Sizing Europe looked to be going marginally the better for a long way but Finian's Rainbow gradually got to him and finally got past him soon after the pair had had to be switched round the final fence.

That incident might have cost Sizing Europe a bit more than it did Finian's Rainbow, but the latter was on top by more than a length come the line and seemed a deserving winner.

In small fields, with wide margins, it can be difficult to gauge which horses have run to form. But there is no particular reason to think that Sizing Europe, who went with his customary zest and finished 15 lengths and more clear of the rest, underperformed.

Race and prior-rating standardisation also point to a personal best from Finian's Rainbow and a good performance from Sizing Europe. The pair should provide stern opposition for the rising star Sprinter Sacre, though that one is now rated marginally higher than them and has abundant potential. (read more about Sprinter Sacre HERE).

Henderson had earlier broken the record for number of wins at the Festival when Simonsig (his 41st such winner) took the Neptune Novices' Hurdle in impressive style.

The grey six-year-old, beaten only once (by Fingal Bay) over hurdles, was bearing down on Cotton Mill when left clear by that one trying to run out two from home and came home an easy seven lengths to the good over Felix Yonger.

With fully 11 lengths back to the third, it seems highly likely that Simonsig was an above-average winner of a race which boasts the likes of Champion Hurdlers Istabraq and Hardy Eustace on its winners' roll call (Rock On Ruby was short-headed in it last year).

Simonsig's bare-form rating - detailed at the foot of this article - is 7 above the recent race-winning standard.

In between, Henderson and Geraghty teamed up with with Bobs Worth, who toughed it out up the hill in the RSA Chase to beat First Lieutenant by two and a half lengths. Grands Crus, who had beaten Bobs Worth readily the time before, went to nothing after challenging before two out.

The previous three winners of this race have yet to win since, but Bobs Worth does not know that, and he has a good attitude and an improved jumping technique these days. What's more, the steady early pace (see sectionals below) might not have been ideal for him.

Bobs Worth's provisional performance rating is slightly above the 153 par for recent RSA Chase winners.

Henderson's win number four came through the Jeremiah McGrath-ridden Une Artiste in the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle. Clear leader Kazlian traded as low as [1.55] in running but had gone too fast (faster than Overturn in the Champion Hurdle early on) and finally caved in at the last, with the ex-French winner (who started at a Betfair SP of 55.32) sweeping by about 100 yards later.

Day two got under way with the National Hunt Chase for amateurs, in which the well-supported Timeform top-rated Teaforthree, partnered by J T McNamara, made the running and came again to hold Harry The Viking by two lengths, providing a first Festival win for Welsh trainer Rebecca Curtis.

Less predictable was the win of Son of Flicka in the Coral Cup at a Betfair SP of 19.96. The gelding had been scarcely sighted since second at last year's Festival but found plenty up the hill to provide trainer Donald McCain and jockey Jason Maguire with their second win of the week.

Irish-trained horses have not fared well so far at this Cheltenham Festival, for a change, but Champagne Fever got a second on the board for the raiding party when making all in the concluding Champion Bumper for father-son team of Willie and Patrick Mullins.

The level of form of this race varies quite a bit, but it might be wise to treat this year's as one of the better renewals given how well the time compares to the juvenile handicap hurdle over the same course and distance (a fixed allowance can be made for each flight not jumped).

The World Hurdle is the highlight of day three at 15:20 GMT. There have been a few short-priced horses turned over already this week, and Big Buck's is only [1.64] to bag a fourth win in a row in the prestigious staying event.

Day two winners, followed by provisional performance rating in race itself and sectional from 3 out for leader/winner
Teaforthree c145 (56.6 sec)
Simonsig h155+ (55.7 sec)
Bobs Worth c156 (54.0 sec)
Finian's Rainbow c173 (53.8 sec, bypassed last)
Son of Flicka h142 (57.9 sec)
Une Artiste h134 (60.5 sec)
Champagne Fever F127(56.7 sec)
...........
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1. Anonymous | 14 March 2012

   The form of this year's NH Chase may be significantly better than rated. Expect to see the form work out and work out well.

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