Victor Chandler Chase: Sprinter Sacre's success is inevitable

Inevitable (adjective) - unable to be avoided, evaded or escaped; sure to occur, happen or come.

It is with a huge degree of inevitability that we set out upon this week's ante-post preview as, for all that aficionados will bleat that there is no such thing as a certainty in racing, the last couple of seasons, both Flat and jumps, have gone some way to disproving that. The rhythmic fashion in which Frankel and Sprinter Sacre have gone about their business almost beggars belief, as it is a rare occasion that a horse can dominate his division with such authority, with the now-retired Frankel establishing himself as the greatest we have ever seen on the level.
 
Sprinter Sacre is well on his way to instituting himself as the greatest two-mile chaser we have seen since Flyingbolt, his current Timeform master rating of 183p tantalisingly close to the 184+ granted to Moscow Flyer in the 2004/5 season. It is far from stretching the truth to say that the Nicky Henderson-trained seven-year-old's full talents are yet to be witnessed, being just six starts into what promises to be a record-breaking career and with him yet to take on a rival that matches up to himself in terms of quality, and granted the right circumstances he could well produce a performance that staggers the racing public. 

Does Saturday's race provide the right circumstances? Well not really, no, as we aren't going to learn a great deal more about Sprinter Sacre. A grand total of eight have been entered to face him and he has defeated five of them before, with just Somersby, Wishfull Thinking and Mad Moose yet to see a clean pair of hooves. Mad Moose simply isn't good enough to get amongst the principals and it is difficult to see Wishfull Thinking lowering the favourite's colours, particularly when remembering his capitulation against Sanctuaire in the Desert Orchid Chase over Christmas, but there is an interesting angle surrounding Somersby.

Fear not, I'm not about to suggest investing some of your hard-earned on the Mick Channon-trained nine-year-old as he'd have to be right at his best to beat Sanctuaire (provided that one doesn't set off like a scalded cat again), let alone Sprinter Sacre. However, as pointed out in Tony McFadden's preview of the Ryanair Chase, there could be some mileage in backing Somersby for that event and hoping that he finishes a respectable second or third at the weekend, putting us in a position from which to trade. Inspiring advice it might not be, but realistic it is. 

We may be setting a new record here in terms of the length, or lack of it, of an ante-post feature, but there really is little to say aside from the obvious: Sprinter Sacre will win as he likes, Sanctuaire will probably go off too hard before finishing a tired second and Somersby will stay on for third, cutting his price for the Ryanair. 

The word inevitable has been in common usage since the 15th Century, and almost certainly applies here. Sprinter Sacre's rivals could set off now and he would still mow them down on the run to the final fence at Ascot come Saturday. 

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