'If she wins well she'll go to Cheltenham' - Champion Bumper hope Queens Gamble in action

A Dream To Share and Fun Fun Fun stormed to prominence in the Champion Bumper market after decisive victories at Leopardstown last weekend and now it is the turn of Queens Gamble to earn her Cheltenham Festival place.

Queens Gamble is the shortest-priced British contender in the Champion Bumper betting and adds a touch of class to what is arguably Market Rasen’s feature prize of the year.

It is difficult to gauge exactly how good Queens Gamble is after just two runs, although she recorded a Racing Post Rating of 118 when pulling apart a Cheltenham Listed race in November. A replication of that performance would have been good enough to land the previous five runnings of this.

Queens Gamble is 11lb clear of her closest pursuer on RPRs and it will require a significant jolt of improvement from one of the others for the five-year-old to surrender her unbeaten record.

The only niggling doubt is her 4lb penalty and the impressive record of younger horses in this and the giant weight pull they receive.

Four-year-olds receive 12lb from their elders and have operated at a 50 per cent strike-rate over the last five years with form figures of 711412. This is a stiff assignment for Rae Guest’s debutante Daytona Beach and Flying Fortune is the more interesting contender from that age group.

Flying Fortune represents Peter Bowen, who strikes at 18 per cent with horses travelling over 200 miles from his Pembrokeshire base, and shaped nicely when third on her debut at Ludlow.

The daughter of Getaway is bred for the task as her dam was unbeaten in bumpers and won at Group 2 level on the Flat.
Race analysis by Robbie Wilders

What they say

Oliver Sherwood, trainer of Queens Gamble
She's been A1 at home and we couldn't be happier with her. She's a very easy mare to train and this is part of her education, it's a different way round and a sharper track than Cheltenham. She has a small penalty and has to give weight away to some useful horses but I'd like to see her win this. If she wins well she'll go to Cheltenham, but we have the back-up option of Aintree.

Fergal O'Brien, trainer of Dysart Enos
This is a tricky race but we love her, we think she's a lovely mare. She's in great form, Oliver's horse [Queens Gamble] is obviously the one to beat but if we can get anywhere near her we'll be delighted.

Rae Guest, trainer of Daytona Beach
She's unraced but has been going nicely at home with other horses we've run in bumpers. We thought she was worth a chance against her own sex to try and get some black type. We're hopeful of a good run.
Reporting by Owen Goulding

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