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Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase
Grade 1, Cheltenham 15:30
£400,000 added,
5yo plus,
1m 7f 199y, Class 1  
Wednesday 13th March 2019

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1 Altior 4/11F
2 Politologue 11/1
3 Sceau Royal 16/1
9 ran Distances: 1¾l, 1¾l, 6l
Time: 3m 58.54s (slow by 6.54s)

Altior further cements his place as an all-time racing great

Altior returned to emotional scenes and two spontaneous rounds of 'three cheers' after possibly the most dramatic win of his career as he looked in serious trouble when challenged on either side by Sceau Royal and Politologue at the last.
 
It was his second win in the race and his fourth successive victory at the Festival, and in winning he added two significant records to his extraordinary CV. It was his 13th successive win over fences, claiming outright the world record for the longest winning sequence over fences, and his 18th Jump race victory, equalling the record of fellow four-time Festival winner Big Buck's.
 
In winning by a length and three quarters and the same from Politologue and Sceau Royal, the Nico de Boinville-ridden chaser made harder work of it than expected, but he is renowned for his strong finish and owner Patricia Pugh always had faith in him.
 
She said: "I think he was headed, but we always know that he's going to come back. It was closer than you would like, but he's just such a powerful athlete and he got there in the end."
 
This sixth win in the race for Nicky Henderson equalled trainer Tom Dreaper's record, and it put him back upsides Willie Mullins on 63 wins at the head of The Festivals all-time record.
 
Relief was his immediate emotion, and the trainer said: "It's nice when it's over. It's like hitting your head against a brick wall. The only nice bit is when it stops.
 
'When you see the crowd like that around the winner's enclosure it's like going back to the Sprinter Sacre days and it was great that he was here this morning and they gave him a great welcome. How lucky are we, to retire one and then find another. You can't believe it's possible really and it makes it all worthwhile. He's some star.
 
"They've both done their bits for us, and I think for racing too. It's lovely when people take to horses like that and they genuinely become public horses. We are lucky to have these horses but they come with health warnings."
 
Asked what was going through his mind when Sceau Royal joined Altior at the last, seemingly going the better, he replied: "I thought 'hells bells we've got trouble here', but it's amazing how he picked up. He knew what he had to do. We'll think about where we go now, but Nico said that more than anything Altior hated the ground. The ground was against him.
 
"Last year he wasn't ready to come back at Aintree and so we waited for Sandown, and I think that's probably what we'll do, and then we'll sit down over the summer and think about things. But we will seriously think about the King George.
 
"It's nice to break records, but then you wake up in the night and realise it is insignificant compared to what Winx has done."
 
Henderson paid tribute to the part played by the team behind Altior at home and to jockey Nico De Boinville.
 
He said: "The whole team is what it is all about and they have been brilliant. Their real work was getting Santini here whereas this fellow has been more straightforward this year.
 
"Nico started with us as an amateur and he was known as Sprinter's work rider. That's where he made his name, but now he's made it right and properly at the top, as he did look in trouble."

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BetWay Queen Mother Champion Chase
£400,000 added, 5yo plus, 1m 7f 199y, Class 1
9 ran
Going: Soft, Good to Soft in places

Pos D Horse SP Jockey Weight Trainer Age
1st Altior (IRE) 4/11f Nico de Boinville
11-10		 N J Henderson 9
2nd 1&frac34 Politologue (FR) 11/1 H Cobden
11-10		 P F Nicholls 8
3rd 1¾ Sceau Royal (FR) 16/1 D A Jacob
11-10		 A King 7
4th 6 Hell's Kitchen 25/1 B J Geraghty
11-10		 H Fry 8
5th 1¾ Min (FR) 7/2 R Walsh
11-10		 W P Mullins 8
6th 8 Castlegrace Paddy (IRE) 25/1 D N Russell
11-10		 P A Fahy 8
7th 5 Saint Calvados (FR) 25/1 G Sheehan
11-10		 H Whittington 6
8th 10 Ordinary World (IRE) 33/1 Rachael Blackmore
11-10		 H De Bromhead 9
PU   God's Own (IRE) 16/1 P J Brennan
11-10		 T R George 11

QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE ROLL OF HONOUR

Year Winner Age/Wt Jockey Trainer Owner SP Ran

2018 Altior 8-11-10 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson Patricia Pugh EvsF 9
2017 Special Tiara10-11-10 Noel Fehily Henry de Bromhead Sally Rowley-Williams 11/1 10
2016 Sprinter Sacre 10-11-10 Nico de Boinville Nicky Henderson Caroline Mould 5/1 10
2015 Dodging Bullets 7-11-10 Sam Twiston-Davies Paul Nicholls Martin Broughton & Friends 9/2 9
2014 Sire De Grugy 8-11-10 Jamie Moore Gary Moore The Preston Family & Friends Ltd 11/4F 11
2013 Sprinter Sacre 7-11-10 Barry Geraghty N J Henderson 1/4 7
2012 Finian's Rainbow 9-11-10 Barry Geraghty N J Henderson 4/1 6
2011 Sizing Europe 9-11-10 Andrew Lynch Henry de Bromhead IRE Ann & Alan Potts 10/1 11
2010 Big Zeb 9-11-10 Barry Geraghty Colm Murphy IRE Pat Redmond 10/1 9
2009 Master Minded 6-11-10 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls Clive Smith 4/11F 12
2008 Master Minded 5-11-10 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls Clive Smith 3/1 8
2007 Voy Por Ustedes 6-11-10 Robert Thornton Alan King Sir Robert Ogden 5/1 10
2006 Newmill 8-11-10 Andrew McNamara John Murphy IRE Mary Hayes 16/1 12
2005 Moscow Flyer 11-11-10 Barry Geraghty Jessica Harrington IRE Brian Kearney 6/4F 8
2004 Azertyuiop 7-11-10 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls John Hales 15/8 8
2003 Moscow Flyer 9-12-00 Barry Geraghty Jessica Harrington IRE Brian Kearney 7/4F 11
2002 Flagship Uberalles 8-12-00 Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs Elizabeth Gutner/Michael Krysztofiak 7/4F 12
2001 No Race (Foot and Mouth)
2000 Edredon Bleu 8-12-00 Tony McCoy Henrietta Knight Jim Lewis 7/2 9
1999 Call Equiname 9-12-00 Mick Fitzgerald Paul Nicholls Mick Coburn,Paul Barber,Colin Lewis 7/2 13
1998 One Man 10-12-00 Brian Harding Gordon Richards John Hales 7/2 8
1997 Martha’s Son 10-12-00 Rodney Farrant Tim Forster Paddy Hartigan/Michael Ward-Thomas 9/1 6
1996 Klairon Davis 7-12-00 Francis Woods Arthur Moore IRE Chris Jones 9/1 7
1995 Viking Flagship 8-12-00 Charlie Swan David Nicholson Roach Foods Ltd 5/2F 10
1994 Viking Flagship 7-12-00 Adrian Maguire David Nicholson Roach Foods Ltd 4/1 8
1993 Deep Sensation 8-12-00 Declan Murphy Josh Gifford Robin Eliot 11/1 9
1992 Remittance Man 8-12-00 Jamie Osborne Nicky Henderson Jim Collins Evs F 6
1991 Katabatic 8-12-00 Simon McNeill Andrew Turnell Pell-Mell Partners 9/1 7
1990 Barnbrook Again 9-12-00 Hywel Davies David Elsworth Mel Davies 11/10F 9
1989 Barnbrook Again 8-12-00 Simon Sherwood David Elsworth Mel Davies 7/4F 8
1988 Pearlyman 9-12-00 Tom Morgan John Edwards Valerie Shaw 15/8F 8
1987 Pearlyman 8-12-00 Peter Scudamore John Edwards Valerie Shaw 13/8F 8
1986 Buck House 8-12-00 Tommy Carmody Mouse Morris IRE Mrs Phil Purcell 5/2 11
1985 Badsworth Boy 10-12-00 Robert Earnshaw Monica Dickinson Doug Armitage 11/8 5
1984 Badsworth Boy 9-12-00 Robert Earnshaw Michael Dickinson Doug Armitage 8/13F 10
1983 Badsworth Boy 8-12-00 Robert Earnshaw Michael Dickinson Doug Armitage 2/1 6
1982 Rathgorman 10-12-00 Kevin Whyte Michael Dickinson J Lilley 100/30 9
1981 Drumgora 9-12-00 Frank Berry Arthur Moore IRE D Monahan 25/1 9
1980 *Another Dolly 10-12-00 Sam Morshead Fred Rimell Ian Urquhart 33/1 7
1979 Hilly Way 9-12-00 Mr Ted Walsh Peter McCreery IRE J W Sweeney 7/1 9
1978 Hilly Way 8-12-00 Tommy Carmody Peter McCreery IRE J W Sweeney 7/1 10
1977 Skymas 12-12-00 Mouse Morris Brian Lusk IRE Mathew Magee 7/2 8
1976 Skymas 11-12-00 Mouse Morris Brian Lusk IRE Mathew Magee 8/1 7
1975 Lough Inagh 8-12-00 Sean Barker Jim Dreaper IRE A Martin 100/30 8
1974 Royal Relief 10-12-00 Bill Smith Edward Courage Edward Courage 6/1 6
1973 Inkslinger 6-12-00 Tommy Carberry Dan Moore IRE Mrs M Jenney 6/1 6
1972 Royal Relief 8-12-00 Bill Smith Edward Courage Edward Courage 15/8 5
1971 Crisp 8-12-00 Paul Kelleway Fred Winter Sir Chester Manifold 3/1 8
1970 Straight Fort 7-12-00 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper IRE George Ansley 7/4F 6
1969 Muir 10-12-00 Ben Hannon Tom Dreaper IRE Waring Willis 15/2 11
1968 Drinny’s Double 10-12-00 Frank Nash Bob Turnell Paul Mellon 6/1 5
1967 Drinny’s Double 9-12-00 Frank Nash Bob Turnell Paul Mellon 7/2 8
1966 Flyingbolt 7-12-00 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper IRE Mrs Jean Wilkinson 1/5F 6
1965 Dunkirk 8-12-00 Dave Dick Peter Cazalet Bill Whitbread 8/1 6
1964 Ben Stack 7-12-00 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper IRE Anne, Duchess of Westminster 2/1 5
1963 Sandy Abbot 8-12-00 Stan Mellor George Owen Mrs J D McKechnie 5/1 5
1962 Piperton 8-12-00 Dave Dick Archie Thomlinson Archie Thomlinson 100/6 7
1961 Fortria 9-12-00 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper IRE George Ansley 2/5F 5
1960 Fortria 8-12-00 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper IRE George Ansley 15/8F 7
1959 Quita Que 10-12-00 Bunny Cox Dan Moore IRE Mrs D R Brand 4/9F 9

*Another Dolly finished second to Chinrullah, who was subsequently disqualified after failing a post-race urine test

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