Put The Kettle On's hopes of defending her Champion Chase crown at Cheltenham Festival seem bleak considering her form and the arrival on the scene of Shishkin and Energumene. Henry de Bromhead's charge was victorious in the race last season as she defeated the race favourite Chacun Pour Soi to take the crown. However, her form since her triumph at Cheltenham Festival has been extremely poor over the course of the 2021/22 National Hunt season.
As a result, Put The Kettle On is an outsider in the Cheltenham races betting odds at 20/1 to win the race for a second year in a row. The consensus in the Champion Chase tips is for Shishkin to dominate and claim the title due to his outstanding calibre and performances this term. Energumene should push Shishkin all the way in the race, while Chacun Pour Soi is also present in the field and out for redemption. The 2021 winner is being overlooked and probably for the right reasons, considering she has turned in poor outings in her two races this season.
Put The Kettle On was the favourite in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham in November, but was off the pace from the off and was well beaten by Nube Negra, placing down in third and 10-and-a-half lengths behind the winner. De Bromhead next placed his charge in the Mares' Chase at Fairyhouse in a bid to find form in January. Although Rachael Blackmore was in the saddle, Put The Kettle On failed to rise to the occasion and finished last in the event.
There will no doubt be trepidations from bettors on whether to back the bay mare, even to place in the Champion Chase on the back of those displays. But, one factor that should not be overlooked is Put The Kettle On's record at Cheltenham Festival, where she boasts a 100% record in her two races. In 2020, De Bromhead's charge was an outsider in the Arkle Chase and was not even considered the best of the horses from her yard due to the presence of Notebook. She produced an outstanding performance to beat her more established rivals, including Fakir D'oudairies, by a length to take the crown.
Put The Kettle On wins a dramatic Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase
It's another winner for @HenrydeBromhead!#ITVRacing#CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/FQs1acJtz6
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 17, 2021
Few would have predicted that Put The Kettle On would triumph again at Cheltenham Festival in the Champion Chase. Her form before the event was not staggeringly good, but she carried a win over Duc Des Genievres in the 2020 Shloer Chase into the contest. Aidan Coleman in the saddle ushered his charge to a fine performance as he battled all the way for the lead and had the pace when it mattered the most down the stretch to beat Nube Negra by a narrow margin.
Shishkin and Energumene will lay down a daunting gauntlet for Put The Kettle On to retain her Champion Chase crown, but bettors should not underestimate De Bromhead and his charge's record at Cheltenham Festival. She is capable of producing one of the biggest upsets of the week and Shishkin and Energumene will have to be ready to battle it out to the bitter end.
