Coral John Francome Novices' Chase report and replay: Wendigo claims prize

Second on chasing debut at Worcester, he looked booked for the same spot jumping the second last on Friday as the strong-travelling No Questions Asked (5/1) went to the front.

However by the next fence his advantage had been eroded and there was only going to be one winner from there, Jamie Snowden’s charge hitting the line two lengths clear.

15/8 favourite Regent's Stroll was a further four-and-a-quarter away in third, doing well to hold on to the principals given how free he was for much of the race under Harry Cobden.

Paddy Power and Sky Bet cut Wendigo to 16/1 from 25s for the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham.

Snowden said: “He is a classy horse for sure. He was fifth in the Albert Bartlett, and he was unlucky that day as he almost got brought down at the second last. I’m hugely proud and Gav has given him a lovely ride. The horse himself is a legend. I think he is a hugely exciting horse to look forward to. I think Ben’s horse travelled through the race very well and had a little bit more speed than us, but they went a decent gallop in front.

“When Ben loomed up it looked like he had the speed and might go do us, but stamina kicked in and from the back of the last we outstayed them. It was good ground and he is a horse that stays well and would ideally want it a bit softer than this so for him to do that on good ground it has served him well for when he does go up in trip on softer ground.

“Fences were always what he was going to be made for. There is a long way to get to that stage (being a Brown Advisory horse), but he has won a Grade Two impressively and we know he is going to be better over further.

“The Kauto Star in the calendar is the logical next step as it were, but I’ve a sneaking suspicion we are marginally better left handed. There is always the race at Warwick (the Hampton). Those kind of races are what we are thinking. The fact he can do that over two and a half miles is always going to be a bonus for him."

Ben Pauling said of the runner-up: “It was an unbelievable round of jumping. He is just fast and he is too fast for two-and-a-half miles. We will go for the Noel at Ascot in 19 days. I think he is good enough for an Arkle. He is definitely good enough to compete in one. He is so fast and he is a good horse. We have been beaten by a proper stayer, who is a worthy winner, but I do think our one is a very good horse.”

Paul Nicholls is pondering re-fitting headgear on Regent's Stroll.

"He just ran too free. He has got to relax, but we didn’t expect that as he has been so good at home. He jumped brilliantly and did everything right; he just ran too free. He has got a huge engine, but he just did too much in the first mile of the race. You can’t go that gallop and keep galloping. It is testament to him that he did keep galloping, but he has got to learn to relax," he said.

"At home Jay Tidball rides him and he has been absolutely super. Even when he came here and galloped he didn’t do that. I thought we had got him to relax, but obviously not. We might go back to putting a hood on him like we did at Aintree. He had a hood on him and a stronger bit on him, but Harry asked me to take it off, so maybe we will have to go back to that. Maybe the freshness is off him, but he has done enough work not to be fresh. You can’t go that fast in the first part of the race and expect to win.”

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