Did we see a Champion Chase or Ryanair winner in the Tingle Creek?

Tom Segal, Pricewise

Altior and Douvan are a fair way ahead of the Tingle Creek protagonists on form and if they come back then I doubt very much if we saw the Champion Chase winner.

That is an 'if' though and there aren't that many others to throw into the mix, so it certainly isn't out of the question that an improving horse like Politologue could win. He'd be long odds-on to better last year's winner Special Tiara, that's for sure.

As for Fox Norton I think he would have won the Ryanair by a long way last year and that is surely his race. He was always on the back foot after an early mistake at Sandown and back at Cheltenham he is the right favourite for the Ryanair.

Tom Park, Ante-Post Focus

Obviously if Altior and Douvan turn up in the Champion Chase they will take an awful lot of beating but I'm a huge Politologue fan and he certainly has the talent to serve it up to them.

He jumped gloriously at Sandown and although it looked like he was hanging on at the finish, he has a tendency to idle and probably won more comfortably than the winning margin suggests.

If he were mine I'd be tempted to take up his King George entry, given his record going right-handed, but I imagine connections will bide their time.

Fox Norton lost nothing in defeat and will surely be better for a step up in trip. He is the one to beat in the Ryanair.

James Hill, RP Tipping

Following Douvan's absence we weren't expecting to witness the classiest Tingle Creek and, given it was run nearly a second slower than the Henry VIII, it could be we didn't see the Champion Chase winner.

Nevertheless the result was a boost for both Altior and Min with the younger brigade faring so well. The performances of the winner and fourth home Charbel suggest last season's novices are a decent bunch, but we know Altior is having his problems, while Min – in the same ownership as Douvan – has been stepped up to two and a half miles.

However, should Rich Ricci's giant chaser fail to return to his brilliant best then any Ryanair plans for Min will surely be scrapped and right now he'd have strong claims for the two-mile championship crown.

As for Fox Norton, he once more looked in need of further and connections may now have to give serious thought to the King George. You'd think the Ryanair would be his best option at the festival granted we get the usual spring-like conditions.

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