King George Chase Contenders 2011 - Master Minded
Paul Nicholls has been aiming Master Minded at the King George Chase ever since he won the Melling Chase at Aintree back in April. Until that win at Aintree, Master Minded had spent most of his career over two miles but as he has got slightly older it appears that he will enjoy the extra trip on offer having lost his galloping speed. At his best Master Minded is as good a horse as there is out there and he has proven that with two Queen Mother champion Chase wins at the Cheltenham Festival in 2008 and 2009.
At the time Master Minded was winning the Champion Chase he was virtually unbeatable on course, he jumped better than most and travelled with ease to run his opponents into the ground. He may have lost a little of that travelling speed and there are doubts about his ability to stay three miles at Kempton but he cannot be ruled out based on his pure class.
Master Minded is the X-Factor in the King George betting this year with connections and owner Clive Smith hoping he can take over the great Kauto Star as a Kempton legend. We know he his jumping his sound but Master Minded has proven a little inconsistent in recent races which is a worry and there are stamina doubts surrounding the three mile trip. Bookmakers and punters are a little unsure about to price up Master Minded as they try to work out how he will fare on Boxing Day but it could be that he proves a nice piece of value for such a talented horse.
Notable Master Minded Wins
- 2008 Queen Mother Champion Chase
- 2009 Queen Mother Champion Chase
- 2011 Melling Chase
- 2008 Tingle Creek Chase
- 2010 Tingle Creek Chase
