Douvan set to confirm star status as Ruby Walsh prepares for armchair ride in Queen Mother Champion Chase

Irish-trained gelding can make it 15 wins in a row with victory in tomorrow’s feature, the Champion Chase
Demolition job: Douvan is an easy winner of the Arkle Challenge Chase at last year’s Festival
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Michael Cooper14 March 2017

Douvan can confirm his star status by winning the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase (3.30) tomorrow — the feature race on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.

The outstanding seven-year-old has not been extended to win his last 14 races and his sequence includes victories at the past two Cheltenham Festivals, in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Arkle Chase.

Willie Mullins has guided the career of many champions and says Douvan could be the best he has trained. None of us know exactly how good he is because he keeps winning with plenty to spare and has all the attributes to stay ahead of the opposition — speed, stamina and a jumping technique that enables him to glide over his fences.

Armchair rides at the meeting are a rarity, especially in the two-mile chasing division, but Ruby Walsh looks set for an enjoyable four minutes.

With a first prize of £200,000 up for grabs, that amounts to Douvan earning Rich Ricci, his already wealthy owner, £50,000 a minute. The 13 fences that Douvan has to negotiate probably represent a bigger threat than his nine rivals but he has barely made a mistake throughout his career.

He can join exalted names such as Badsworth Boy, Viking Flagship, Moscow Flyer, Master Minded and Sprinter Sacre to have won the Champion Chase and, in the process, provide Mullins with his first winner of the race.

Unfortunately, we are not going to boost our bank balances much by backing him as the bookmakers have virtually waved the white flag and quote him at 1-4. The expected one-sided nature of the contest is reflected by them framing a market on who will finish second.Special Tiara has been placed in the last two renewals and will be the choice of many to fill the runner-up berth but he has not sparkled this term and preference is for God’s Own, who has a stack of solid form, including at the Festival, and might have won the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on his latest start had an early error not left him playing catch-up. God’s Own has been kept fresh for the Festival and the drying ground will also suit him.

Cheltenham Festival through the years - In pictures

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The opening Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle (1.30) promised to be a clash between two of the most exciting young horses in training in Neon Wolf and Finian’s Oscar.

With the latter ruled out with a small setback on Saturday, the way looks clear for the unbeaten Neon Wolf to take centre stage. A graduate from the point-to-point arena, he jumped superbly and won in a fast time at Haydock on his latest start.

The only slight niggle is that all his wins have been achieved on soft ground. Nicky Henderson holds all the aces in the RSA Chase (2.10) as he will unleash Might Bite, O O Seven and Whisper. Might Bite, the favourite, was in the process of running his rivals ragged when falling at the final fence at Kempton over Christmas and will be hard to beat.

However, he has been at his best on flatter tracks and it could be that the trainer’s bigger-priced contenders are better equipped. O O Seven was faultless when winning at Cheltenham’s November meeting and has more to offer but Whisper, who has won half of his 20 races, is the most interesting.

A high-class staying hurdler, it has taken time for the 2014 Coral Cup winner to realise his potential over fences but he has made great strides this term — winning at Cheltenham in December and on New Year’s Day.

Those victories were achieved over 2m5f on tacky ground but the combination of 3m and better going promise to suit him much better.

Henderson could be in for a day to savour because Consul De Thaix and Divin Bere give him bright prospects of landing the Coral Cup (2.50) and Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle (4.50).

Consul De Thaix has run cracking races in defeat behind the smart Brain Power in two hot 2m handicaps this season and the lightly raced five-year-old is open to improvement.

Divin Bere gave weight and a beating to Master Blueyes last time at Huntingdon and that form has a glow after the runner-up’s subsequent easy win in the Adonis Hurdle at Kempton. It could be that Master Blueyes has improved a good deal but, regardless, Divin Bere looks on a lenient mark.

Cantlow is the clear form pick in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase (4.10), while Imperial Eloquence looks worth an each-way punt in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper (5.30). He is overpriced at a general 25-1.

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