How Put The Kettle On steamed to victory in the 2021 Queen Mother Champion Chase

As they pounded up the home straight, all seemed to be going as expected. Chacun Pour Soi, the odds-on favourite for the 2021 Queen Mother Champion Chase, was in the lead and looking good, with jockey Paul Townend ready to taste yet another major win at the Cheltenham Festival.

He hadn’t accounted for a plucky 17/2 mare by the name of Put The Kettle On to produce one of the Festival’s all-time great finishes to steal the glory. As Chacun Pour Soi faded, Put The Kettle On sensed blood and made her break for the lead. Not even the close attentions of Nube Negra could prevent the eight-year-old from earning a remarkable victory.

Aidan Coleman was the man in the saddle, and he too was left to take in this horse’s achievements with awe. It was an astonishing triumph, and one of several sensational victories for trainer Henry de Bromhead at last year’s Cheltenham Festival.

It was the second year in a row that the winner of the Champion Chase had come from slightly left of field. A year prior, Politologue had made the most of a string of withdrawals to steal the headlines, taking on the mantle from Altior, who had won the race twice successively in 2018 and 2019. Put The Kettle On joined those names as a winner of one of horse racing’s most prestigious events.

“She’s a bit crackers the whole time, to be honest,” De Bromhead said of his energetic mare after that Champion Chase triumph. she’s just quite wild, but a real character. She’s nuts, but in a great way.”

To win the Champion Chase was unexpected for Put The Kettle On, but when you look at her record at Cheltenham, at the Festival or otherwise, there is a pattern of strong performances at Prestbury Park. This was the most shining example of her love of Cheltenham, and the only shame is that there were no spectators there to witness the performance of a lifetime.

With the 2022 Cheltenham Festival approaching, Put The Kettle On has an entry for the Champion Chase again, although De Bromhead could instead opt for her to race in the Mares’ Chase. The Champion Chase betting market has her at odds of around 16/1 to defend her title, and when faced with the significant hurdle of overcoming the likes of Shiskhin and Energumene, the task looks a tricky one. If she is entered in the Champion Chase, winning it will be an even greater achievement than last year.

Indeed, things have not gone too well for Put The Kettle On since that glorious triumph last March. Three defeats have followed, suggesting that the mare’s best days are behind her. Nonetheless, her performance in last year’s Champion Chase can never be erased, and that is what she will always be remembered for, regardless of what happens next.

“I don’t think anyone has ridden a tougher mare than this,” Coleman said after the race. “She had some fantastic jumps, and she just threw herself at it, and it’s a testament to her ability. If you could bottle what she has and sell it, I wouldn’t have to ride again – I’d be a rich man.”