As one of the most important races, not only in its own right but also as a huge forerunner towards the Champion Chase at Cheltenham, the Tingle Creek Chase remains crucial for punters as well as for owners, trainers and jockeys.
Run as usual over two miles with thirteen fences to be taken, Sandown Park’s Tingle Creek Chase 2021 will take place on Saturday December 4th and is worth a cool £150,000. The event is run as part of the Tingle Creek Festival with Sandown staging two days of top-class racing including the Henry VIII Novices’ Chase and the Ballymore Winter Novices’ Hurdle.
This race really does attract those who sit at the top table of National Hunt racing and as such, it has been won in the past by subsequent Cheltenham Festival winners Flagship Uberalles, Kauto Star and Altior among others.
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Ahead of the 2021 Tingle Creek Chase there are some important statistics to be aware of. Prevailing trends can be bucked of course, but they more often than not lead you to make better betting decisions when picking out a horse for this event. In case you’re new for the world of betting, look through Cheltenham new customer offers and the likes to make your first steps easier and more profitable. Learn all about the key Tingle Creek race stats here:
Politologue again profited from the absence of Altior to win the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase for the second time in his career, leading home a 1-2 for trainer Paul Nicholls. Success for the popular John Hales owned grey enhanced his handler’s magnificent record in the race to 11 victories. Politologue emulated illustrious stable companions Kauto Star, Twist Magic and Master Minded in becoming a dual winner of the Tingle Creek race. As at the Cheltenham Festival when landing the spoils in a depleted renewal of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, he jumped well and made all the running for a second Sandown success three years after his first.
With Altior an overnight defection from the race despite figuring in final declarations owing to the soft ground, Politologue was sent off the 11/8 favourite. He never saw a rival. Brewin’upastorm, an 18/1 outsider from the Olly Murphy stable, didn’t jump with much fluency in the hands of Aidan Coleman and was struggling down Sandown’s back straight and its famous Railway Fences. Irish raider Castlegrace Paddy, a 10/1 shot from Pat Fahy’s yard, lost all chance by jumping out to its left. That only left two dangers to Politologue in the form of Haldon Gold Cup scorer Greaneteen and Cheltenham Showcase handicap winner Rouge Vif.
The latter didn’t find a softer surface to his liking, yet Harry Whittington’s charge was still backed into 3/1. Greaneteen, the 5/2 second-favourite made his challenge under Harry Cobden as the small field rounded the Pond Fence approaching the home turn, but Politologue shrugged off his attentions and stayed on best up the Sandown hill for a seven-length victory. Mistakes at two out by Rouge Vif and one at the last from Greaneteen just left Harry Skelton needing to ride him out to win. Bookmakers cut the price on Politologue making a successful defence of the Champion Chase into 9/1 come Cheltenham, but there may be more competition then.
Defi Du Seuil followed-up on his Shloer Chase success by landing the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase on his return to Sandown. Philip Hobbs’s JP McManus owned Voix Du Nord gelding had won at the track earlier in the year when he reversed previous form with Lostintranslation in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase en route to a second Cheltenham Festival victory. Defi Du Seuil was an easy to back favourite on track, drifting in the market from an opening show of 7/4 with racecourse bookmakers out to 2/1. He was produced by Barry Geraghty at the last where he jumped into lead, briefly outpacing beloved veteran and Irish raider Un De Sceaux.
Willie Mullins’s charge gave Defi Du Seuil a race up the Sandown hill and went down fighting by a neck at odds of 3/1. Waiting Patiently stayed on best of the rest for Ruth Jefferson’s Yorkshire stable under Brian Hughes, beaten a length in third. The front three were well clear of the remainder, with the gamble on Nicky Henderson’s Janika – one of two in the Sandown Tingle Creek for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede – not bearing any fruit. He was nine lengths off the winner in fourth at a 9/2 starting price. There was the same distance back to previous Tingle Creek race winner Politologue (5/1) in fifth, while the soft ground was against another Sandown specialist in Sceau Royal who was next home.