Chacun Pour Soi seems to be delivering on his undoubted potential – and Ruby Walsh hopes he can become a Cheltenham winner this year.
The nine-year-old is lightly raced due to a three-year absence from the track after switching trainer from Emmanuel Clayeux to Willie Mullins in 2016. He is the antepost favourite with Paddy Power for the Queen Mother Champion Chase after scoring five wins from six starts in Ireland over the last two years.
Speaking on the latest episode of Paddy Power’s ‘Countdown to Cheltenham’ podcast, Ruby detailed Chacun Pour Soi’s background and explained what he must do to be considered a great horse.
Chacun Pour Soi arrived at Willie Mullins’ yard in April or May 2016 after being trained by Emmanuel Clayeux in France.
To be honest with you, by the time we got him to the track on the 10th of Match 2019 we were really sick of him. He’d have picked up this injury and that injury. He got a sickness at one stage that set him back a long way. It was nearly three years. You were looking at this horse thinking, ‘is that thing ever going to get to the track?’
He went to Leopardstown to school with a couple of the horses that were going to Cheltenham, and I remember Willie saying: ‘Jesus, the lad we’re running in Naas has nearly gone round Leopardstown better than the ones we’re bringing to Cheltenham.’
That was Chacun Pour Soi. That’s when we really realised we had him and that would be the first time we sent him over fences away from home. He went to Naas at 4/9 and bolted in the Beginners Chase. He then went to Punchestown and beat Defi Du Seuil.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change
DON’T MISS
- DON’T MISS OUR BRAND NEW SNAZZY RACECARDS FOR EVERY SINGLE RACE TODAY
- … THEN CHECK OUT ALL THE WINNERS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE WITH OUR FAST RESULTS
It has been a stop-start career for him. I rode him working Punchestown against Al Boum Photo and a few horses and he came up in front. He’s a very, very good horse but he just has to go and deliver on the biggest stage at Cheltenham to be considered a great horse. I hope he gets the chance to do it.
Chacun Pour Soi’s in great form. He’ll reoppose Min at the Dublin Racing Festival, this weekend, which will be really informative.
Read More on Cheltenham 2021
- Everything you need to know about the festival including antepost tips from our experts
- Ruby Walsh and Frank Hickey’s antepost picks for the Queen Mother Champion Chase
- 6 favourites worth following at the festival