Captain Chris wins Arkle Chase Realt Dubh was the first Irish horse to reach the frame at Cheltenham today finishing third in the Arkle Chase behind winner Captain Chris. Captain Chris' connections had pondered whether to tackle this event or the new Jewson Chase later in the week but they made the right choice as he stayed on in tremendous style to beat Finian's Rainbow (7-2) by two and three quarter lengths. Realt Dubh never seriously threatened the leaders but stayed on gamely for third while favourite Medermit was under pressure some way out after a mistake and could only plug in fourth. Captain Chris is trained by Philip Hobbs who stated "we've always thought he wanted two and a half miles and, to be fair, I still think he does. He was at work quite a long way from home but his jumping was mustard. He was a little bit right-handed, he'll always do that. "He won despite the trip really, but he did have enough pace for it. I wasn't sure beforehand, but we got away with it. He's a gorgeous horse and people forget that he only had his first run just over a year ago. "We were originally going to run him and Wishfull Thinking in the Jewson, which would have meant we had two very good chances in one race, but in the end we decided to have two shots at glory. My first thought for next year is the King George VI Chase. He loves Kempton and he loves better ground. "The breathing operation he had was a big plus, but today has proved the old adage - that you need a two-and-a-half miler to win the Arkle." Realt Dubh's rider Paul Carberry subsequently reported "Realt Dubh missed one or two but apart from that he jumped great. He got a little tired at the end but the winner won well."
