Politologue (foaled 12 May 2011) is a French-bred racehorse who competes in National Hunt racing. After winning one race in his native country he was sent to race in England and won two Novice Hurdle races in the 2015/16 season. In the following season he began to compete in steeplechases and won three races including the Noel Novices' Chase. In his next campaign he emerged as a top-class chaser over two and two and a half miles as he recorded victories in the Haldon Gold Cup, Tingle Creek Chase, Desert Orchid Chase and Melling Chase. He won the 1965 Chase in November 2018 but failed to win again for eighteen months before gaining his biggest win in the 2020 Champion Chase. In December 2020 he won the Tingle Creek Chase for a second time.
Background
Politologue is a grey horse bred in at the Haras du Mesnil in France by Henri and Antonia Devin. He initially raced in the ownership of Sophie Devin and was sent into training with Etienne Leemans. He was gelded before the start of his racing career.
He was sired by the Critérium de Saint-Cloud winner Poliglote, whose other progeny have included Solemia, Don Poli and So French (Grand Steeplechase de Paris). Politologue's dam Scarlet Row, showed high class form in steeplechases in France, winning at least six races and running second in the Prix Maurice Gillois. As a descendant of the broodmare Numen, she came from a family which had produced numerous major winners in Germany.
Racing career
2014/15 season
Politologue began his racing career in a hurdle over 3400 metres on very soft ground at Compiegne on 20 May 2015 and finished second, beaten one and three quarter lengths by the winner Ami Sol. On 22 June at Auteuil Hippodrome he started at odds of 5.6/1 and recorded his first success as he took the lead in the last 100 metres and won by one and a half lengths.
2015/16 season
In September 2015 Politologue was acquired by John Hales and sent to England where he joined the stable of Paul Nicholls at Ditcheat in Somerset. On his first run for his new connections he contested a Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse on 11 December in which he appeared to be going well before jinking to the right approaching the last flight and unseating his rider, Sam Twiston-Davies (who became his regular jockey). Later that month he was moved up in class for the Grade 1 Challow Novices' Hurdle at Newbury Racecourse and finished second to the odds-on favourite Barters Hill. In February Politologue was partnered by Twiston-Davies when he went off the 2/9 favourite for the Bathwick Tyres Novices' Hurdle at Exeter Racecourse. He took the lead at the third hurdle and came home almost sixty lengths clear of his rivals after his only serious challenger, Ghost River, fell at the penultimate obstacle. On his first appearance at the Cheltenham Festival Politologue was matched against more experienced opponents in the Coral Cup and made little impact, coming home twentieth of the twenty-three finishers after tiring badly in the closing stages.
2016/17 season
In the 2016/17 season Politologue was campaigned in Novice chases and made a successful debut over the larger obstacles when he came home ten lengths clear of his rivals at Haydock Park on 18 November. Four weeks later he started the 10/11 favourite for the Grade 2 Noel Novices' Chase at Ascot Racecourse and won again, leading from the start and winning by four lengths from Rock The Kasbah. After the race Paul Nicholls said "He is enthusiastic, he jumps, he has plenty of pace... I am really focussing on next season. He will be awesome then and we are just going to mind him for that."
In the Altcar Novices' Chase at Haydock in January Politologue started favourite but was beaten into second place by Waiting Patiently after being overtaken approaching the final fence. For his remaining starts that season he was equipped with a hood. Three weeks after his defeat at Haydock he was dropped in class for a minor event at Kempton Park Racecourse and won easily from his only opponent, Pain Au Chocolat, at odds of 1/8. In March the gelding ran for the second time in the Cheltenham Festival and finished fourth to Yorkhill in the Golden Miller Novices' Chase, beaten ten lengths by the winner. On his final start of the year the gelding contested the Maghull Novices' Chase at Aintree Racecourse in which he fell at the last fence when disputing the lead. The race was won by his stablemate San Benedeto.