When will we be seeing.....

[NoChanceToDance]

From RP.......

by Lee Mottershead



“IT would have been lovely to win,” admitted Alan King, but neither he, jockey Robert Thornton nor the bookmakers seemed in the least bit concerned that the Queen Mother ChampionChase hero Voy Por Ustedes was beaten on his seasonal reappearance on Sunday.

Attempting to concede 26lb to Kalca Mome, Voy Por Ustedes succumbed by a neck at the end of a Paddypower.com Handicap Chase that the top two-miler's connections had made clear beforehand was a prep race for the Paddy Power Tingle Creek Trophy in 19 days' time.

The Seasons Holidays-sponsored Champion Chase remains the ultimate aim for the ante-post favourite, whose odds for the festival championship remained largely unchanged. Those layers who did make alterations were impressed, with Stan James now offering the shortest price about Voy Por Ustedes after cutting him to 100-30 from 7-2. William Hill went 4-1 from 5-1, while Blue Square's 9-2 is the biggest price available.

In a slowly run race staged on soft ground and in driving rain, Thornton sent Voy Por Ustedes - who was inclined to lug right for most of the contest - into the lead at the water jump. Although around five lengths clear at the penultimate fence, he was not asked a serious question until after the final obstacle, by which time the Richard Johnson-ridden Kalca Mome had already clawed back most of the deficit. Having taken over in the final strides, Kalca Mome went on to win a race in which third home Pauntley Gofa was only beaten just over 14 lengths, despite running from 41lb out of the handicap.

“I'm very happy with that,” said King. “I thought to myself going to the last, ‘He's going to get mugged', but with the weight he was carryingon that ground I'm still very happy.

“It would have been lovely to win here, but the two races we want to win this season are the Queen Mother and the Tingle Creek, and this should put him spot on for Sandown and take the freshness out of him, as he was almost too gassy today.

“I've said all along that it wouldn't be the end of the world if he got beat and he got beat, but he still came out of the race with a lot of credit.”

Agreeing with King, Thornton said: “I'm as happy as you can be after getting beat. It was one of those things. I was trying to save him on that ground and with that weight on his back, and he's just been pegged back.”

The horse who did the pegging back was described by Philip Hobbs as “a star”, but there are absolutely noplans for Kalca Mome to take on Voy Por Ustedes again.

“I think we might not beat him at level weights,” said Hobbs. No tongue has ever been firmer in cheek.

Winning groom: Liam Burns