Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase |
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| Grade 2, Cheltenham 14:40 £130,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 4f 127y, Class 1  |
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If the Cheltenham Festival is a stage for the brave and the brilliant, then the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase may yet prove the arena in which Panic Attack crowns a season of rare authority.
Dan Skelton has made no secret of the regard in which he holds his stable stars, but it is Panic Attack’s participation in the two-and-a-half-mile contest that sharpens the focus. A campaign that began in the hurly-burly of handicap company has matured into something far more compelling, and the decision to resist the lure of the Ryanair Chase in favour of a tilt at mares-only honours speaks of both confidence and clarity.
Her season has been a study in momentum. A stirring success in the Paddy Power Gold Cup was followed by another major handicap triumph in the Coral Gold Cup, performances that marked her down as a mare thriving not merely on competition, but on confrontation. She then underlined that progress with a commanding display in Listed company at Newbury, brushing aside her rivals with the assurance of a horse who knows precisely where she stands.
Connections briefly allowed their thoughts to wander towards open Grade 1 company, such has been the scale of her progression, but the more surgical option has prevailed. In the Mrs Paddy Power Mares’ Chase she is set to line up as a standard-bearer for the home team, her blend of stamina, tenacity and tactical pace tailor-made for the unique examination of Prestbury Park.
Skelton’s assessment leaves little room for ambiguity. “She’s in unbelievable form. I don’t know what’s happened this year, but she’s an absolute credit to herself, she loves racing and has got better as the year has gone by.
“Her form at home has been phenomenal, she looks great and whatever beats her will win. She is absolutely flying.”
The clock is ticking, but the destination is clear. The Cheltenham Festival remains firmly in the sights for Diva Luna, provided Ben Pauling can complete a carefully managed race against time to have his progressive novice ready.
Twelve months on from finishing a creditable third in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Prestbury Park, the seven-year-old has taken notably well to fences. Her chasing debut in a Listed contest at Bangor was striking, and she confirmed both ability and appetite for the job when following up in the Lady Godiva at Warwick, again at Listed level, travelling with authority and jumping with assurance.
Those performances marked her down as a mare firmly on the upward curve, and a tilt at the Grade One Scilly Isles at Sandown was very much on the agenda in late January. A minor but inconvenient setback intervened, however, forcing a change of plan and sharpening the focus entirely on March, where she is now trading as short as 8-1 for her Festival target.
Pauling remains quietly optimistic.
“She’s in good form and working away again now and it will be very much our aim to get her to Cheltenham.
If she wasn’t to get to Cheltenham for any reason, we would look forward to Aintree and the two-and-a-half-mile novice chase.
It would be straight to Cheltenham and there isn’t time to squeeze a prep run in now, which is not an issue with her as she’s very easy to get right.”
That ability to come to hand without a run could yet prove crucial. Diva Luna has already shown she handles the demands of Festival racing, and her assured transition to fences suggests the slightly different test of the mares’ chase may suit her just as well. If she does make it to the start, she will arrive as a mare with proven class, a liking for spring targets, and the sort of profile that often rewards patience.
Mares’ Chase
£130,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 2m 4f 127y, Class 1
24 entries
Going: Good to Soft
NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY (form as of Feb 25)
1 11-11P Spindleberry 8 11-7 W P Mullins
2 2P-382 Bioluminescence 8 11-5 Gavin Cromwell
3 1-1211 Dinoblue 9 11-5 W P Mullins
4 2-1321 Jade De Grugy 7 11-5 W P Mullins
5 5-5113 July Flower 7 11-5 Henry De Bromhead
6 70-112 Kala Conti 6 11-5 Gordon Elliott
7 12-215 Only By Night 8 11-5 Gavin Cromwell
8 12P-21 The Big Westerner 7 11-5 Henry De Bromhead
9 -26334 All The Glory 9 11-2 Jonjo & A J O'Neill
10 -41472 Break My Soul 7 11-2 Ian Patrick Donoghue
11 237-11 Diva Luna 7 11-2 Ben Pauling
12 11-442 Fun Fun Fun 8 11-2 W P Mullins
13 P-3151 Hollygrove Cha Cha 6 11-2 Jamie Snowden
14 19-312 Jasmine Bliss 7 11-2 Harry Derham
15 1-3212 Kargese 6 11-2 W P Mullins
16 1/5-1U Karre D'As 6 11-2 D Cottin
17 221135 Paggane 7 11-2 Faye Bramley
18 12-111 Panic Attack 10 11-2 Dan Skelton
19 4-31P5 Party Vibes 8 11-2 Henry Daly
20 13/6-2 Piper Park 7 11-2 Tom Lacey
21 515867 Shakeyatailfeather 7 11-2 Dan Skelton
22 7-3P23 Shecouldbeanything 9 11-2 Gordon Elliott
23 11-242 Telepathique 8 11-2 Lucy Wadham
24 33-613 Wyenot 7 11-2 Henry Daly
