'He's all speed'

A slick round of jumping secures victory for a familiar face, while another enjoys perfect prep for Cheltenham’s Gold Cup

- GEMMA REDRUP

Newbury Racecourse, Berks

EDWARDSTONE put himself firmly back in the mix for the Queen Mother Champion Chase when he won the 2m ½f Betfair Exchange Game Spirit Chase in impressive fashion under Tom Cannon for trainer Alan King.

This followed a disappointing run in the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase when stepping up to 2m 4½f for the first time, but this 40-length victory over the only other finisher, Funambule Sivola, was much more reminiscent of the Edwardstone we’ve seen winning his three Grade Ones.

“I thought at Kempton last time over two-and-a-half miles that we disappointed him,” explained King of the 10-year-old, owned by Robert Abrey and Ian Thurtle. “He was racing within himself today and I think Tom was quite happy. I got a lot of satisfaction out of that.”

The victory came after a change in usual tactics, with the pace-setters being non-runners. Edwardstone set off in front and never saw another rival, finishing on the bridle under a motionless Cannon with slick and clever jumping.

“Trying him over a longer trip was an itch that needed to be scratched, but on his day, he’s as quick a two-mile chaser as you can get,” said Cannon. “The plan was to go forward and he seemed to enjoy himself. He’s all speed to ride.”

King explained that he had been scratching his head over recent weeks with some below-par results.

“I think this is the best a few of mine have been all season. I was away on holiday a few weeks ago and they hadn’t been running terribly well. I thought, ‘What the hell is wrong?’ I went back to the old routine of three times up the hill over the past few weeks and I think the results speak for themselves,” he said.