Tingle Creek Chase Preview, Saturday 5 December

Only a field of five will line up for Saturday’s Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown. There have been some high profile horses not declare, but there are five top class chasers who stand their ground for the Tingle Creek.

Big Zeb is Tingle Creek Favourite

Big Zeb, an Irish raider is likely to go off favourite for the Grade One Tingle Creek Chase have run out an easy winner on his first start of the season at Navan. He was beind Master Minded at Punchestown in April when a bad mistake at the last stopped him in his tracks. That is top quality form and worth of favouritism.

The main challenge to Big Zeb will come from Well Chief, trained by David Pipe. Last time we saw Well Chief in the Tingle Creek was in 2004 when third behind Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop in a truly classic encounter.

Paul Nicholls has won six of the last 10 runnings, including the last four, of the Tingle Creek. Of course he has no Master Minded this year. Twist Magic, third in the Haldon Gold Cup on his reappearance is the Champion Trainer’s hope in 2009 . Last season’s Arkle winner Forpadydeplasterer steps back up to Grade One company after a satisfactory reappearance over two and a half miles in soft ground. Is he good enough to win the Tingle Creek?

Completing the field is Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Mahogany Blaze, second to Well Chief and in front of Master Minded in the Connaught Chase last time out.

So who is going to win?

Big Zeb is certainly the one that punters will want to be on. His form is there for all to see but is not likely to be much of a price. Twist Magic is actually the highest rated but has been a bit of a let down of late, in my view at least. At the prices Well Chief is the value bet. A great run last time showed he is back to his best and is in fact rated, officially, a pound better than Big Zeb. Ground concerns rule out Forpadydeplasterer, in my view and the race shapes as a match between Big Zeb and Well Chief.

I take the value and go for Well Chief who looked back to his best last time out. Stan James have given us a charity bet which will be given out on SunTalk in aid of Help for Heroes. £100 to win on Well Chief. David Pipe said of his charge; “He has come back more times than Frank Sinatra. We’ve always hung in there with him as horses like Well Chief don’t come along very often in a lifetime,”

Tingle Creek Prediction: Well Chief to Win.

Prices:
13/8 Big zeb
11/4 Twist Magic
3/1 Well chief
6 Forpady
20 Mahogony

Charlie McCann’s Tingle Creek preview;