JUMPING is the name of the game and unfortunately for Champ it cost him dearly in the Dipper Chase.
He came down at the second last when in control and left the Grade 2 to Sue Smith’s Midnight Shadow.
Sent off the 4-9 jolly, Champ was asked to cut out the running by jockey Barry Geraghty and the pair set a decent tempo.
A couple of sketchy jumps aside, the antepost RSA favourite was always in command and looked to have the race at his mercy.
As they turned in Champ hit 1.04 in the run before he took a tumble two from home.
Danny Cook was left to steer Midnight Shadow home having lobbed round in second most of the way.
If you dont jump em you dont win, simples
Midnight Shadow makes the most of Champs tumble to win the G2 Dipper Chase for Sue Smith
pic.twitter.com/1TSl3VVDRq
— Sun Racing (@SunRacing) January 1, 2020
Cook said: “It looked like Barry had the race sewn up on Champ, but my lad was brilliant today.
“He relaxed really nicely, jumped from fence to fence, but just idled a bit after the last.
“We probably would have been a good second, but he was pulling himself up on the run-in.”
Nicky Henderson was unsure if he’d get another run into his crack novice before the Festival.
The bookies reacted by pushing him out to 4-1 for the three mile RSA. He can be backed at 12-1 for the Marsh Novices’ Chase.
Henderson said: “Barry said he was having a lovely time and then he just took his eye of the ball. You come off that bend and there are a lot of things to look at and he had been in front long enough.
“We felt we needed to make the race a bit more honest for him today as he does stay and you didn’t want a sprint. He was enjoying himself and he jumped beautifully. I thought he jumped the best he has done this season.
“He had it totally under control and he said he was full of petrol. They catch them at the end and take them to the stable, but I’ve been told he is fine.
“We’ve got to re-school him, but I was not planning on running him again after today (until Cheltenham) and just stepping him up to three miles, which is what he wants. Whether we go and run him over three miles, I don’t know (before Cheltenham), we will just have to see as there are places we can go.
“(The) Reynoldstown (at Ascot) and things like that could come into the equation. You hardly want to come into it (RSA) on the back of that, but there are a million ways of skinning the cat and we will just have to decide how to skin this one.
“It’s just annoying more than anything else, but as long as he is all right, which we think he is, and Barry is all right we will have to put it down to the new year!”
Geraghty added: “He was brilliant through the race, but running to the second last he was looking around a bit and met it wrong.
“It was a novicey fall. He seemed to get up OK, so hopefully he’s fine.”
