Champagne must go further Hopes are high that Champagne Fever will stay the three-mile trip of the William Hill King George VI Chase, despite not having run over the distance since winning a point-to-point three years ago. The Grade Two Clonmel Oil Chase hero has been targeted at Friday's Kempton Grade One by trainer Willie Mullins for a while and owner Rich Ricci feels that he can lay it down to favourite and last year's winner Silviniaco Conti. He said: "Ruby Walsh is a great one for coming up with schemes and opportunities in the Punchestown parade ring. Last year, when he didn't fire there (in the Grade One Ryanair Novice Chase), he came up with the idea of running in the King George. "He has always thought of him as a stayer and we think he will stay three miles. That's the plan and he's done nothing to make us think otherwise. "Willie thinks plan is a four-letter word. When Ruby comes up with a plan we can work on him! When Willie texts me with the word 'plan', he texts a 'P' with three stars - he just doesn't like the word. "He has a great chance, although I worry about Paul Nicholls' horses. "If Fever is on his day - and he's not always on his day - but if he is, he must have a chance. "I thought when he ran at Cheltenham (when beaten in the Arkle) he was short in his work and I had the conversation with Willie and Ruby. They felt they had done too much work with him and he got tired. "He might have done too much, so this year we decided to keep him fresh. He's a young horse still and certainly bred to stay, and we have every hope he will win."
