Cheltenham Festival 2017 – Might Bite wins an extraordinary renewal of the RSA Chase for trainer Nicky Henderson
The quirky Might Bite managed to throw the race away then win it back in a dramatic final 100 yards of the RSA Chase
MIGHT BITE somehow got past the finishing post first in the RSA Chase for Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville.
In an extraordinary renewal of the race, Might Bite was in the process of producing a devastating front-running performance before he got to the last fence.
And while he didn’t fall – like he did at Kempton – he made a mistake and then drifted right over to the running rail.
Henderson’s other runner Whisper was storming home up the centre of the course and got to the lead, only for Might Bite to fight back and nick it on the line by a nose.
Bellshill was third for Willie Mullins.
De Boinville said: “He did exactly the same in his hurdles run around here, the same thing happened. Without the loose horse I wouldn’t have won.
“He’s a thinker but he’s so talented, he jumped for fun – he should have five or 10 lengths.
“It’s great for the owners and great for guv’nor, he’s having a great time of it. I kept faith with this horse, I can see why others might not!
“We’ll see (if he is a Gold Cup horse), we might have to iron out a few issues, but he’s definitely got the ability.”
Henderson said: “What to make of it all? It just goes to show why you run two horses in a race.”
Henderson went on: “You thought he’d done it all well and then he goes and does that.
“If you go back a couple of seasons when he came here as a novice over hurdles, he did exactly the same thing.
“Davy (Russell) has done everything right on Whisper. You could always see him creeping in there.
“You thought Might Bite might have got away, then Might Bite said ‘come on’.”
Henderson continued: “This place has extraordinary tricks.
“It looked for all the world that he (Might Bite) had thrown it away.
“A dead-heat would have been fair to everybody, but it wouldn’t have been, really, because Might Bite was the best horse.
“It was extraordinary. He’s only a baby but he’s hugely talented. He just grinds it out and keeps going, but then he stops and has an ice cream!
“He’s handled the undulations, the place and the crowd, which wasn’t guaranteed.
“We must be aware of it (his wayward streak) in the future. He’s not naughty, or anything like that, but the future is obviously enormous.”