Sacre tackles Champion quartet

Sprinter Sacre, the undoubted star of National Hunt racing, will face just four rivals in tomorrow's Boylesports.com Champion Chase at Punchestown.

In what many will see as the highlight of the Festival on the opening day, Nicky Henderson’s unbeaten chaser will once again take on former champion chaser Sizing Europe.

Henderson’s machine effortlessly disposed of Sizing Europe in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham, but it had been mooted by trainer Henry de Bromhead that he could swerve a second clash and run his stable star over further.

However, the likelihood of very testing ground has ruled out that possibility.

De Bromhead will also run Days Hotel, winner of two Grade Twos this season but facing a sterner task this time.

Last time out he was beaten by Foildubh in the Normans Grove Chase and John Ryan’s charge is also in the line-up.

The quintet is completed by Paul Nolan’s Noble Prince, whose season has been interrupted by injury.

While Henderson had slight reservations about asking Sprinter Sacre to contest his third Festival in a short space of time, he has always been a big supporter of the Punchestown meeting and wants the new king of jumps racing to face a new audience.

Henderson was also worried about testing ground earlier in the season but he handled it with aplomb at Cheltenham in January.

“You have to be mindful of horses at this time of year,” said the Seven Barrows handler.

“He’s been to Cheltenham and he’s been to Aintree – it’s quite easy to say he’s not getting terribly hard races, but those Festivals take quite a bit out of horses, whatever happens.

“We’ve always said we’d like to take him over there (to Ireland).

“In fact, Aintree was the one where I surprised myself a little bit as that was the one that slotted in that I didn’t expect to do.

“It’s nice to be able to go, it’s always been a great meeting and I think the horse deserves to go there.

“Earlier in the year Barry (Geraghty, jockey) was very worried when it was soft, but it didn’t bother him.

“When you have something like this you have to enjoy it – I’m probably the person that enjoys it the least, but I’m lucky enough to have him here every day.

“We just want to do our best and all goes well because it would just be nice to finish on a good note,” Henderson told At The Races.

With the ground riding so testing, De Bromhead admits he had little option but to run Sizing Europe.

“We had the choice again, but with the ground as it is it forced our hand somewhat,” said De Bromhead.

“It’s the old cliche – you should never be afraid of the one horse as anything can happen.

“He seems in great form at home so we’ll see how we get on.

“He (Sprinter Sacre) fairly put us away at Cheltenham but we just haven’t got the ground to step him up in trip so we’ll stick to two miles and do right by the horse.

“As for Days Hotel, he will love the ground and he’s a good jumper so deserves to take his chance – he isn’t a pacemaker at all.

“With Andrew (Lynch, jockey) on Europe, Phillip Enright rides him. He was on him in the Hilly Way earlier this season and got on very well with him.

“He’s a good jockey and he should get a very nice ride. He’s got a lot to find on Europe and even more on Sprinter Sacre, but there’s lots of prize-money.”