Cheltenham review: Black Corton enters RSA Chase picture
A round-up of the rest of Saturday's action from Cheltenham as Black Corton earned quotes of 25/1 for the RSA Chase.
Experience proved vital as Black Corton gave Bryony Frost another big Saturday winner in the mallardjewellers.com Novices' Chase.
A week on from winning the Badger Ales Chase on Present Man, Frost was aboard another of Paul Nicholls' prolific winners and took her record to five from five over fences on the six-year-old, who won at 4/1.
Having made hay in the summer Black Corton was expected to be outclassed by Ballyoptic and West Approach, but his jumping held up while West Approach made a series of niggling errors and Ballyoptic clattered the last.
Frost said: "I wouldn't mind getting used to this. Hats off to the horse, from going around Worcester in the summer to beating those sort of horses.
"He gave me everything he had, I had heard Ballyoptic coming at the last and I was thinking 'don't get caught now, Blackie'. I'm five out of five on him now, but you'd have to ask him why we get on so well.
"We have to take him seriously now, he's put two very good horses to bed."
Sky Bet introduced the winner at 25/1 for the RSA Chase and Nicholls said: "In all the time I've been training I don't think I've had a horse improve like him. I didn't think he had a chance today and that is six he's won now, he's getting better and better.
"This week he looked better than he's ever looked, despite all his races. The owners hadn't seen him run so I thought I'd let them see him and let him take his chance (once the ground had changed). He's not a typical chaser like the other two, he's 16:1 hands but gets on well with Bryony.
"Bryony is as good as any of the lads that are conditionals and she works hard."
He added: "There's a Grade Two at Doncaster and I suppose we could come back here and run in the three-miler in December. I can't believe how he has improved physically for all the runs, I could be brave and run in something like the Feltham and then give him a break before the spring."
Course specialist Perfect Candidate, recommended by our flagship racing tipster Ben Linfoot in his profitable Value Bet column, hung on for victory in the BetVictor.com Handicap Chase.
Paddy Brennan was positive on Fergal O'Brien's 10-year-old, tackling the front-running Three Faces West fully a mile from home and when that one cried enough he looked sure to win.
However, Scottish National winner Vicente began to close and but for two mistakes at the last two fences he may have got there, going down by less than a length. Gold Cup runner-up Minella Rocco was pulled up and favourite Premier Bond never went a yard.
Brennan said: "What a trainer, he has campaigned him beautifully. He took some stoking up, but he wanted it as much as me. It's always good to get winners here for Fergal. Fergal learned from the best in Nigel Twiston-Davies, who is the best trainer of a jumper I've ridden for, and one day he could be the best."
O'Brien said of his 7/1 scorer: "I've used a few words to describe this horse over the years, but never in front of the owners. It was fantastic and Paddy knows him so well.
"He had a nice run the time before, Paddy had to make his mind up today for him but the ground has come right for him and I've said for three weeks in a row now that Paddy is amazing in these situations, as he gives the horse every chance.
"I'm lucky to have the horse and Paddy. He's a phenomenal horse, we bought him for just 16,000 guineas and he's done us proud."
Looking to future plans, O'Brien said: "The Becher Chase might come too soon, but this race was always the plan. We'll just have to see how he is, he looks like a National horse and goes at home like a National horse, but these sort of fields suit him as he can dictate. I just feel in big field handicaps he doesn't get his own way, but I want to go back for the Becher."
The well supported 13/8 favourite Thomas Campbell made it two wins in as many starts at Prestbury Park with a comfortable two and a half-length victory in the Regulatory Finance Solutions Handicap under young conditional James Bowen.
Always travelling well, the Nicky Henderson-trained five-year-old son of Yeats stayed on powerfully after the final flight to fend off the sustained challenge of Sophie Leech's Anteros (8/1) in second, with a further five lengths back to Kim Bailey's Rocky Treasure (13/2) in third.
Seven Barrows maestro Henderson, registering a 4.25/1 double after the victory of Apple's Shakira in the Grade Two JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle, said: "James gave him a lovely ride. He is a really good lad and it's his last day claiming 7lbs so I wasn't going to waste it.
"I've got a number of good boys at home including Ned Curtis and Hugo Hunt so it's nice as these boys are the future. Thomas Campbell was always going well - he is progressing nicely. He has a bit of a temperament but he always tries.
"We have never run him in that sort of ground and whilst he is a reprobate, he has ability and he uses it. He jumped very well today, so it suggests that he does handle the ground. We'll keep creeping away with him but he's a very honest fella."
Brendan Powell junior made every post a winning one on Michael Blake's 25/1 chance Coole Cody in the Martin & Co Jewellers Intermediate Handicap Hurdle.
"I wasn't expecting to be given such an easy lead, you don't usually get that here," said Powell.
The closing Experience The Theatre At The Festival Mares' Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race saw Nicholls complete his own double with Posh Trish (9/4 favourite)
"She's a very nice filly, she needed the run at Aintree and was a little green, but I'm delighted with her," said Nicholls.
"We knew she'd improved a lot since Aintree, she's already schooled over hurdles and has won a point-to-point."
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