Racing: Macaire confident Jair du Cochet will reign
Jair Du Cochet, a best-priced 7-4 chance, has been a leading fancy for the three-mile contest, which attracted a 12-runner field at yesterday's final declaration stage, ever since Guillaume Macaire's charge defeated Best Mate in the Tote Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon in November.
"He's in good form the same form as last time in the Peterborough Chase," his trainer Guillaume Macaire said.
"But of course a race is a race and especially a three-mile chase. There are plenty of fences to jump perfectly to have the horse ready to give his best on the run-in."
Jair Du Cochet is a course and distance winner having landed the Feltham Novices' Chase on the King George card 12 months ago.
Macaire continued: "It was good for him last year to win the Grade One novice.
"All the lights are green and now we need to have a little bit of luck during the race.
"He is a safe jumper but sometimes when he is alone at the last he tries to go to the left. He did that one year ago and the same last time.
"So in the race he must stay to the outside and keep the field on his inside because it is good for his confidence to stay wide but you need to have luck with you."
His regular partner Jacques Ricou will once again be in the saddle but Jair Du Cochet does not require any special tactics.
With trainer Henrietta Knight and owner Jim Lewis having decided to take Best Mate, last year's winner of the Kempton contest, to Ireland for Leopardstown's Ericsson Chase the door has opened for his regular companion Edredon Blue.
And judged by Edredon Bleu's performances so far this season, he has earned the opportunity to prove his stamina over three miles.
Rather than going backward as he nears pensionable age, the 11-year-old has been a revelation, winning all three of his starts most memorably when defeating Beef Or Salmon at Clonmel.
And with the forecast good ground set to be ideal then Edredon Bleu, the winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2000, will never have a better chance to prove himself.
"This season he just seems to be staying on more strongly and having won over two miles and five furlongs at Wincanton, it has to be worth trying it again," Knight said.
"I think he's got a good chance of staying and I would love to see him run well because of everything he has done for us. He has been such a lovely horse to train for such a long time.
The 2000 winner, First Gold, is another raider from across the Channel.
The Francois Doumen-trained gelding finished fifth over hurdles on heavy ground at Auteuil on his return to action at the end of November as part of his big-race build-up.
Doumen said: "The horse is in very good form. We think we have got him back. I haven't had any problems and the horse is very well but you have to consider it is still a comeback race.
"He had that race in a bog in Auteuil but it's still his comeback race. But he likes the track, likes the ground and he's in very good form."
First Gold has also been left in the Ericsson Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday as a precaution.
Nicky Henderson runs Marlborough, second 12 months ago, and the improving Fondmort, impressive winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on his latest start.
With Mick Fitzgerald on Fondmort, connections of Marlborough have booked Liam Cooper for the ride.
Paul Nicholls will rely on Le Roi Miguel, while champion trainer Martin Pipe is three-handed with It Takes Time, Tiutchev and Seebald.
Le Roi Miguel, Seebald and Tiutchev will all be racing over three miles for the first time.
Peter Bowen's Swansea Bay, unbeaten in his four starts this season, takes a big step up in class in the Christmas feature.
And the line-up is completed by Howard Johnson's Valley Henry and the Richard Phillips-trained La Landiere.
