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Punchestown Champion Chase Odds: Sizing Europe and Big Zeb renew rivalry in Grade 1

Click here for the latest odds and betting preview for the 2012 Punchestown Champion Chase.

The Punchestown Festival gets underway on Tuesday, with five days of quality horse racing from Ireland including nine Grade 1 events. The highlight on the first day of the festival is the Punchestown Champion Chase, where Sizing Europe and Big Zeb renew their rivalry from the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March. The bookmakers are struggling to split the pair at the head of the market, with Boylesports going 2/1 each a two, although from the ante-post betting we can see that Big Zeb is strong in the betting whilst Sizing Europe is on the drift.

Sizing Europe was the 10/1 winner of the Sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham and Henry De Bromhead's nine year old will face three of his rivals from that race again on Tuesday. Big Zeb was second in that race, beaten five lengths whilst the third and fourth both reoppose in what is a strong division for Irish trained horses.

Captain Cee Bee was third at Cheltenham and the ten year old former winner of the Supreme Novices' Hurdle is 9/2 third favourite for this race. Edward Harty trains Captain Cee Bee, who was also beaten by Sizing Europe in the 2010 Arkle, where he was sent off the 5/2 favourite. He finished a well beaten fourth of four in the Grade 1 Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas but bounced back well at Cheltenham last time out. This is a funny time of year as Cheltenham was the main aim for all of these horses, so it's a question of whether they've trained on for this valuable festival.

Golden Silver finished a good fourth at Cheltenham on a course where he's not run well before. He also has the scalp of 2010 Champion Chaser Big Zeb and Sizing Europe when the trio met in the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown back in January. Most of the Willie Mullins trained nine year old's form comes on ground with some juice in it, so it stands to tell if he'll enjoy the good going on Tuesday, despite winning this race last year. The bookmakers seem to think not, Boyle Sports making him their 5/1 fourth favourite.

Willie Mullins also trains the mare J'y Vole, who is a 14/1 shot for glory here. After finishing third in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham fourteen months ago, she's had somewhat of a disappointing season, with a second place behind Tranquil Sea here best return since, in the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Chase. She finished sixth in this year's renewal of the Ryanair Chase over two and a half miles and despite her weight allowance on Tuesday, thew two miles is likely to be too sharp for her best efforts.

Changing Course will be hoping not to just make up the numbers but it's likely that he'll be used as a pacemaker for stablemate Sizing Europe and at odds of 150/1 it would be a huge surprise were he to place. Despite the use of a pacemaker, Sizing Europe will do well to hold the form against Big Zeb who looks the best bet to get revenge for the Queen Mother defeat.

Punchestown Champion Chase Odds

2/1 Big Zeb
2/1 Sizing Europe
9/2 Captain Cee Bee
5/1 Golden Silver
14/1 J'y Vole
150/1 Changing Course

Odds supplied by Boylesports.com, with best odds guaranteed available on all races from the Punchestown Festival.

Posted: Monday, 2nd May 2011
Author: Russell Lloyd
Tags: punchestown champion chase, big zeb, sizing europe, boylesports,

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