Djelo, a well-backed 6/4 favourite, proved his effectiveness left-handed and over three miles with an authoritative success in the William Hill Bet10 Get10 On Racing Denman Chase at Newbury.
Charlie Deutsch gave Venetia Williams’ charge a patient ride and jumping the third last he began to move forward.
At that stage eventual third Bravemansgame led the field but he had no more to offer once joined and by the last the winner had the race in safe keeping.
A safe leap there settled matters and he came home three-and-a-half lengths clear of Hitman, second in a big prize yet again.
Both Sky Bet and Paddy Power cut the winner to 12/1 from 20s for the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham
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Williams said: "A week ago he was running in the Game Spirit and it was only shortly before the race closed that I looked what was in it and thought we need to be in the Denman as well.
"We have got him in the Ryanair, and the Champion Chase, but there are no regrets at all at not having him in the Gold Cup. I would say he will go to the Ryanair now. It has already been discussed in the last two minutes that he is a King George horse for next season.
"He will go straight to Cheltenham on the back of that. We were scratching our heads a bit about tactics, but at the end of the day Pete and I left it to Charlie to make his mind up when they got down to the start. We didn’t want him to be too keen so he dropped him right and he settled beautifully almost to the point when they were turning for home I said to Pete he needs to set him alight and I think Charlie was thinking the same.
"Once he did the turbo came in very quickly. We can’t do it without the generous owners and support in buying nice horses for us. That is a milestone for both of us as it put him second in the owners’ table and that put us past a million pounds in prize money for the season.
“He is quite a headstrong horse. You have to be forgiven of a run and you don’t always have to have a reason, or an answer. I think an element of his defeat at Windsor was not necessarily him, but Protektorat as he was ridden was extraordinary restraint at Huntingdon so we got well away from him, but the boot was on the other foot at Windsor.”
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