Handicappers' Corner: Don't get swept away by the tide

High hopes were certainly entertained for this mercurial gelding after he ended 2007/8 as Timeform's highest-rated novice chaser, when his five wins (from six starts) including a runaway success in the Arkle Chase. His always-suspect attitude has very much got in the way of things since then, however, and he's managed just three wins from twenty-one starts (including over hurdles) in the four subsequent seasons, with that paltry strike rate not even improving after a switch to champion trainer Paul Nicholls from the disqualified Howard Johnson last summer.

That said, Tidal Bay (Timeform rating c165$) rolled back the years with a remarkable weight-carrying performance in Saturday's Sandown Gold Cup, when he became the first horse to shoulder top weight to victory in this long-standing race since dual winner Diamond Edge achieved the feat in both 1979 and 1981 - for the record, Desert Orchid (11-11) in 1988 and Life of A Lord (11-10) in 1996 also carried similar burdens to Tidal Bay, but both had one above them at the head of the handicap for those years in question.

The combination of unseasonably soft ground and a longer trip than usual seemed to suit Tidal Bay, who cruised into contention under a patient ride and, for once, found plenty when asked to put the race to bed, pulling fifteen lengths clear of runner-up Roalco de Farges (c136). Given the ease of his victory, Tidal Bay could clearly be rated even higher than his current Timeform figure, but the percentage call is to suggest he's simply returned to the form which saw him finish a close second to 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander at Haydock and then 2012 Grand National winner Neptune Collonges at Cheltenham back in 2010/11.

Tidal Bay, of course, wasn't the only talented but quirky representative from the Nicholls yard to run out a wide-margin winner at Sandown on Saturday, as Sanctuaire (c169+) confirmed himself a top-notch novice chaser with an imperious display to win the valuable two-mile Celebration Chase 35 minutes earlier. If anything, this performance is even harder to assess than Tidal Bay's as the likelihood is that most of Sanctuaire's rivals were either past their best for the campaign and/or unsuited by the rain-softened conditions. In addition, Sanctuaire was also given plenty of rope given how things unfolded, particularly by his nearest market rivals - the waited-with runner-up Somersby (c164), for example, ended up running over a stone below the rating he ran to when beating Finian's Rainbow (c 174) at Ascot back in January.

Therefore, we're still siding with fellow novice Sprinter Sacre (c175p) as the most likely winner of the 2013 Queen Mother Champion Chase, but that's not to say Sanctuaire won't be up to winning his share of valuable two-mile prizes next season as he's clearly a much better chaser than hurdler. Indeed, in many ways he resembles former stable-companion Twist Magic - like Sanctuaire, the ill-fated Twist Magic often blotted his copybook at the start (even refused to race once) but he was a top-class performer on his day, notably around Sandown. Sanctuaire has cut a fine sight over Sandown's demanding fences on his last two starts, so the Tingle Creek Chase there in December already appeals as an obvious target.

If Sandown's results were difficult to assess on account of the unseasonably testing ground, then similar comments apply to last week's Punchestown Festival, which was badly affected by heavy rain - several chases had to be postponed for later in the meeting due to waterlogging issues. As a result, it was somewhat inevitable that there were several surprise winners, though these extreme conditions didn't affect the stranglehold that Willie Mullins exerts over this meeting. Mullins saddled ten winners this time around, including the unbeaten Sir des Champs (c164p), who cemented his position as Ireland's leading hope for the 2013 Cheltenham Gold Cup with another smooth display - despite a misunderstanding with Davy Russell at the last.

Elsewhere, Mullins' star hurdlers Hurricane Fly (h173) and Quevega (h164) completed a hat-trick of wins in the Rabobank Champion Hurdle and World Series Hurdle respectively, with the latter's defeat of Voler La Vadette (h159) adding further fuel to the fire that the powers-that-be in racing really should move heaven and earth to organise a match between Quevega and Big Buck's (h176+). Now that would be something to look forward to in 2012/13.