Master Minded Could Be Shortest Price Queen Mother Chase Favourite Since Flyingbolt

The Queen Mother Champion Chase looks to be all over before the starter has even raised his flag, with only the very bravest of punters daring to back against red hot favourite Master Minded.

So strong is he in the field that any potent challengers that had been entered for this most prestigious race have long since been withdrawn and had their sights re-zeroed for a Cheltenham Festival alternative.

Master Minded won this race by 18 lengths last year from the 2007 winner, Voy Por Ustedes and it seems unlikely that this year that there will be a horse in the field who will even get that close if Master Minded decides to turn it on.

Big Zeb, trained by Colm Murphy is second in the betting, is a potential challenger. He looks to be a quality horse and won the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase over the Christmas period. He since fell when cruising behind Mansony at Punchestown in January, but Murphy has since revealed that his challenger has schooled well and is in prime condition. That said Murphy is under no illusion and has made it clear that he is going for place money rather than carry the expectation of winning. To that end he has booked the considerable services of jockey, Choc Thornton to ride now that it is certain that his original mount, Voy Por Ustedes will definitely go for the Ryanair Chase.

The field sadly will probably be quite small and if that happens then the Master Minded odds will shorten too. The advice therefore is get on him now as he is likely to start as the shortest price favourite since Flyingbolt in 1965.

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