Unioniste scrambled home from Hadrian's Approach in a thrilling Novice's chase at Newbury.

Paul Nicholls' grey was sent off as an odds-on favourite for the Better Prices On Betfair Mobile Novices' Chase having won at Cheltenham and Aintree earlier in the season, but he was made to pull out all the stops as Nicky Henderson's six-year-old thrust at him in the shadows of the post.

The runner-up looked held having made a momentum stopping mistake at the second last, but he gave willingly for Barry Geraghty, and having had to be switched around the elbow on the run in, he found the line coming all too soon.

A relieved Nicholls said after the race: "He idles and I knew he'd need a stronger pace and bigger field. If there's a race for him at Cheltenham, the RSA would probably be the one. I don't think he'd be quick enough for the Jewson."

However, 24 hours later Nicholls admitted the shorter contest could come under consideration, adding: "He goes straight to Cheltenham and the Sun Alliance is the plan, but if it came up heavy then the Jewson could become an option."

Sky Bet are unchanged about their quote of 8/1 in the RSA Chase but the second has been closed down into 10/1 (from 20/1) to gain his revenge at Prestbury Park.

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