England: Nube Negra leads Shloer Chase start to finish

CHELTENHAM, England - Nube Negra had his first start of the British jump racing season on Sunday and got the same result as the gelding’s first race of the 2021-2022 campaign.

Nube Negra won the Grade 2 Shloer Chase at two miles at Cheltenham Racecourse against two rivals, a performance that was as much a trial as a test in his first start since April.

Ridden by Harry Skelton for his brother, trainer Dan, Nube Negra (1-10 with British bookmakers) led throughout, and was not troubled by rivals Ganapathi and Daly Tiger. He won by eight lengths, racing clear of his rivals in the final 1 1/2 miles.

“He went around very smoothly and very balanced,” Dan Skelton said. “Today was literally a canter around.”

Nube Negra won the 2021 Shloer Chase by six lengths, beating three rivals. The major races in the two-mile division for top-class chasers in Britain and Ireland are often plagued by short fields.

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A rare Spanish-bred, Nube Negra will be raced sparingly in coming months, with the Grade 1 Queen Mother Champion Chase at two miles here in March during the prestigious National Hunt festival a long-term goal.

Nube Negra was second in the 2021 Champion Chase, the year the festival was held without an audience because of pandemic restrictions. Earlier this year, Nube Negra was scratched from the Champion Chase because of soft turf.

Conditions were rated good on Sunday, a bright day at Cheltenham. Dan Skelton said conditions of good-to-soft or better are ideal for Nube Negra, who has won 7 of 20 starts in jump races since late 2017.

Nube Negra ran three times in the 2021-22 season and may have that many starts this year, Skelton hinted. A race at Christmastime is likely to be the next start for Nube Negra, who, Skelton said, is better with time between races.

“He’s an easy horse to train, but sometimes you can overstretch the band,” Skelton said. “You can go to the well too often.

“We have many ambitions for him in March. We feel we have unfinished business.”

If Nube Negra gets that far in suitable conditions, the Champion Chase will be a difficult assignment. Nube Negra was quoted as 12-1 by one British bookmaker on Sunday after the win. The future-book favorite at 9-4 is Energumene, who won the Champion Chase earlier this year by 8 1/2 lengths, but has yet to start this season.

The Shloer Chase was worth $118,300 and was the richest chase on Sunday’s six-race program.

I Like To Move It, a 5-year-old gelding, won for the first time in a year in the day’s richest hurdle, the $118,300 Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at about 2 1/16 miles.

Ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies, for his father, trainer Nigel, I Live To Move It (17-2) carried topweight of 168 pounds in a field of 13 and won by 5 1/2 lengths over 4-1 favorite Gin Coco.

I Like To Move It was prominent throughout the Greatwood Hurdle. The race was scheduled to be run over eight hurdles, but three obstacles were eliminated because of a bright sun that made visibility difficult for riders in the stretch.

I Like To Move It has won 6 of 11 starts in his jump racing career, including 3 of 5 starts at Cheltenham.

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