Queen Mother Champion Chase Analysis

The 2005 renewal of the £250,000 Queen Mother Champion Chase has attracted 19 entries, with five of these trained in Ireland. Click here for Entries

Ditcheat-based Paul Nicholls dominates the entries with six possibles engaged. Heading Nicholls' sextet is Azertyuiop, successful at the Festival in 2003 when taking the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy and last year when he ran out the nine-length winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase. The eight-year-old could be joined by stable companions Armaturk, Cenkos, third in both 2002 and 2003, the improving Great Travel, winner of both of his starts in handicap company this year, Kadarann and Thisthatandtother, runner-up twice already this season in both the Paddy Power and tripleprint.com Gold Cups at Cheltenham.

Azertyuiop's main rival for a repeat success is Moscow Flyer. The Jessica Harrington-trained 11-year-old won the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy in 2002, the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2003 and unseated Barry Geraghty four fences from home in last year's renewal. He remains undefeated over fences when he has completed the course and proved a length and a half too strong for Azertyuiop when the pair met in the Tingle Creek Trophy at Sandown on December 4.

Also included among the quintet of Irish contenders are the Dessie Hughes-trained Central House, last seen out when landing the Grade One Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown on December 27, the veteran Native Upmanship, second in both the 2002 and 2003 Queen Mother Champion Chases, Rathgar Beau, successful twice in Grade Two company already this season and Golden Row, a fairly useful novice last season but not seen out since November, 2003.

The Queen Mother Champion Chase is one of the few races missing from Martin Pipe's CV and the champion trainer has just Well Chief engaged. Well Chief was a winner at last year's Festival when taking the Irish Independent Arkle Trophy by a length from Kicking King. He was then subsequently successful in a Grade One event at Aintree. On his seasonal debut, he ran very well to finish a close third behind Moscow Flyer and Azertyuiop in the Tingle Creek Trophy at Sandown before falling on his latest appearance in the Castleford Chase at Wetherby on January 1.

Other contenders for this year's renewal include Flagship Uberalles, winner of the Irish Independent Arkle in 1999 and the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2002. He also finished second to Azertyuiop in last year's renewal and third to Edredon Bleu in 2000. Mister McGoldrick benefited from the fall of Well Chief when landing the Castleford Chase at Wetherby last time, but still ran out an impressive winner from Kadarran and Armaturk.

Nigel Twiston-Davies has entered his very exciting novice Fundamentalist, last season's Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle victor and victorious at Cheltenham earlier this season in the Independent Newspaper Novices' Chase. He disappointed on his latest visit to Prestbury Park when unseating Carl Llewellyn in the Unicoin Homes 'Dipper' Novices' Chase on New Year's Day but was subsequently found to be suffering from sore shins. Nicky Henderson's sole entry is Non So, a useful novice last season but a faller on both his starts during the current campaign.

Two improving sorts for this year's contest are Mark Rimell's Oneway, an easy winner of his last three starts in handicap company and the Ben De Haan-trained Master Rex, who has won his last two races in minor handicap company.

Completing the entries is Venn Ottery. He showed tremendous improvement last season to finish fifth to Azertyuiop in this race and has been sent by owner Oliver Carter to point-to-point trainer Emma Oliver.