- Grey wins first race at meeting with all-the-way victory
- Odds-on shot Defi De Seuil never going well
From the pub on Tuesday to the winner’s enclosure on Wednesday, the first half of Paul Nicholls’s Cheltenham Festival has certainly been one of contrasts. The 11-times champion trainer had no runners at the meeting for the first time in a quarter of a century on the opening afternoon, but quickly returned to centre stage thanks to a dominant front-running performance by Politologue in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Defi Du Seuil set off as the 2-5 favourite to give Barry Geraghty and JP McManus a treble on the day, but from the moment Harry Skelton kicked Politologue straight into the lead, however, he was jumping so accurately and galloping with such purpose that Defi Du Seuil would clearly need to be at his very best to match him.
Written by Greg Wood at Cheltenham
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/mar/11/politologue-pulls-off-shock-runaway-win-in-champion-chase-at-cheltenham-festival-horse-racing under the title “Cheers for Nicholls after journey from pub to centre stage with Politologue”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.