Altior heads entries for Cheltenham

Superstar chaser Altior headlines 22 entries for the £400,000 Grade 1 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, the highlight on day two of The Festival™ presented by Magners, at Cheltenham on Wednesday, March 13.
By Steve Smith
Published 17th Jan 2019, 14:14 BST
Updated 7th Feb 2019, 17:37 BST
Altior and Nico de Boinville clear the last to win the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty ImagesAltior and Nico de Boinville clear the last to win the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images
Altior and Nico de Boinville clear the last to win the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham. Photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Trained by Nicky Henderson, Altior is undefeated in three starts at the Festival and is going for back-to-back victories in the two-mile Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, following an impressive seven-length victory over Min last year.

He won the 2017 Grade 1 Racing Post Arkle Novices’ Chase emphatically and the 2016 Grade 1 Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in tremendous style, also by seven lengths from Min.

Altior is the 1/2 favourite with Betway on the back of a very easy success in the Grade 2 Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton Park in December.