Nothing left to chance with Flame Creek

A BATTLE plan devised for Cheltenham Festival in the heat of July involving a a horse with just four runs on the board might seem like mid-summer madness. But to trainer Noel Chance it made perfect sense.

Flame Creek will travel to the Champion Hurdle today more in anticipation than wild hope, boasting a record of five wins from six starts and carrying Chance’s 66-1 ante-post investment.

Dublin-born Chance knows what it takes to succeed at the highest level, having twice captured the Cheltenham Gold Cup with Mr Mulligan and Looks Like Trouble since his move to Britain in the mid-1990s. Flame Creek will be his first contender for hurdling’s crown.