Tatenen Heads To Arkle As Favorite
Betting in favor of Tatenen, for the Arkle Chase has been gaining momentum, as wagering agencies have seen the punters grow in confidence that Tatenen is becoming a formidable competitor in the jumps racing industry. His magnificent performance in the Independent Newspaper Novices’ Chase, confirmed that he has immense talent and the ability to take on more challenging racing events. Even though bad luck has struck trainer, Paul Nicholls, yet again this year with the injury of his number one jockey, horses like Tatenen have been his silver lining.
Last year, at almost the exactly same time, Ruby Walsh came off a horse named Paddy Power, after which he ended up in hospital and out of racing action for quite a few weeks. This year, it was Pride Of Dulcote that sent him on his way to the Cheltenham General Hospital. After falling at a jump, Walsh was unfortunately kicked in the stomach, and though his injuries did not seem serious at first, it was found on examination, that his spleen had to be removed. With Walsh out of action, Sam Thomas was asked to step up to the plate and take over Walsh’s mounts.
During the running of the Independent Newspaper Novices’ Chase, Tatenen ran a near perfect race from start to finish. He did make a slight error at the ditch, but nothing so dramatic that it affected his overall performance. Tatenen was the 8 – 13 favorite for the race, and made everything look so easy as he cleared the last jumps and headed towards the finish line twenty four lengths in front of second place finisher, Straw Bear. In regard to Tatenen’s performance, Nicholls said: “It was obviously a good run and the ground was right for him. He’s jumped and galloped and that was ideal.” Looking at upcoming jumps racing events, he commented: “We’ll probably head to Leopardstown now on Boxing Day for a Grade One but we’ll see after that and he might come straight back here in March.” Thomas and Tatenen proved to be a competitive match, and Tatenen has cemented his favoritism amongst punters. It is hoped the Nicholl’s other champion performers will be just as eager to be motivated by Thomas and continue a successful racing season campaign.
