Sprinter Sacre superb again at Punchestown

Sprinter Sacre and Barry Geraghty clear the last at Punchestown. Picture: Getty

Nicky Henderson’s incredibly talented seven-year-old was a breathtaking winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham last month and a step up to two and a half miles had little effect as he routed his rivals in Aintree’s Melling Chase. Making his first appearance on Irish soil a little under three weeks later, the athletic gelding was unsurprisingly a red-hot 1-9 favourite to win and his supporters had few worries for much of the two-mile journey.

Travelling with his trademark enthusiasm in the hands of Barry Geraghty and jumping with his usual panache, Sprinter Sacre moved up to challenge admirable veteran and multiple Grade One winner Sizing Europe for the lead rounding the home turn. While Sprinter Sacre had eased 19 lengths clear at Cheltenham in March, Sizing Europe made a real race of it on this occasion but Henderson’s star began to assert on the run to the final fence.

Much to the delight of the Irish faithful, he safely negotiated the obstacle and pulled further clear on the run-in to take the prize by five and a half lengths.

Henderson said: “Job done. He was at his best at Cheltenham, he wasn’t quite as sharp at Aintree and wasn’t as sharp today. To do all three [Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown] is very, very hard and he’s had to work harder today. He didn’t do anything wrong. He was clean and confident and fair play to  Sizing Europe, who ran a hell of a race.”

Henderson may be over in Ireland supervising some of his big guns at Punchestown but he will be keeping a close eye on proceedings in Scotland today as he saddles two runners on the first day of the Perth Festival.

His ex-French mare Uttopie des Bordes, faces just four rivals in the £15,000 EBF “Future Champions” “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle (for the Perthshire Challenge Cup).

Henderson said: “She’s in good form and this is her last chance this term to run as a novice. She gets the three miles okay as she won a Grade 1 chase in heavy ground at Auteuil last November. She’s had a good year and has come out of her second to Ubak at Aintree well. The trouble is she’s very, very small and will find life more difficult next season.”

The Seven Barrows trainer is also represented at the Scone track by Private Equity in the Aberdeen Asset Management plc Novices’ Chase. Henderson added: “He might run again at Perth on Friday and it would be nice if he finished off in style as he’s owned by the Million In Mind Partnership so he’s off to the sales next month.”

Before the action gets underway, Grand National-winning jockey Ryan Mania will officially open the Perth Racing Museum as the course celebrates 400 years of horseracing in the locality.

Meanwhile, some bookmakers reacted quickly by deciding to refund ante-post bets on any Mahmood Al Zarooni-trained horses, who have been scratched from big races.

Al Zarooni is to face a BHA disciplinary panel hearing after samples taken from 11 horses in his care in Newmarket were found to contain traces of anabolic steroids. Al Zarooni, who won the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster last year with Encke, as well as the richest race in the world, the Dubai World Cup, with Monterosso, has trained a host of big-race winners since joining Sheikh Mohammed’s operation.

Certify, unbeaten in four outings, was one of the seven horses whose sample tested positive for ethylestranol. She had been ante-post favourite for the 1,000 Guineas, but has been withdrawn.

Kate Miller, head of William Hill’s PR team, tweeted: “Godolphin horses  William Hill will refund ALL AP bets on; 1000 Guineas, Certify & Desert Blossom. 2000 Guineas; Artigiano/Restraint Of Trade.”