Cheltenham 2022 Day Two: Energumene wins the Queen Mother Champion Chase
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It’s Good to Soft across all the Cheltenham courses now with the BHA updating earlier this afternoon as the rain was increasing in intensity.
Energumene wins the Queen Mother Champion Chase
The rain is still falling at Prestbury Park but this will matter little to the thousands of happy racegoers as the action continues on Day Two of the Cheltenham Festival. The most eagerly-anticipated race of the day was always going to be the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase and it certainly didn’t disappoint as Energumene finished first past the post in impressive fashion.
The big money was coming in for firm odds-on favourite Shishkin but it’s backers weren’t rewarded as the eight-year-old was pulled up by Nico De Boinville and it was Energumene who provided Willie Mullins with his 81st winner at the Festival and his first Champion Chase. Indeed this was the big Cheltenham Festival race missing from Mullins’ CV and he has now put that right.
Paul Townend was a cool as a cucumber on the winner, anchoring him at the rear in the early stages of the contest and gently easing him through the field to lead on the final turn for home, realising by this point that the usual dangers weren’t there with Shishkin having pulled up and Chacun Pour Soi having unseated.
Queen Mother Champion Chase Result
Grade 1 1m 7f 199y (5YO Plus)
1: Energumene 5/2
2: Funambule Sivola 40/1
3: Envoi Allen 10/1
4: Politologue 80/1
5: Put The Kettle On 20/1
Also Ran
UR: Chacun Pour Soi 8/1
PU: Shishkin 5/6 f