Silviniaco Conti, who “does nothing but stay” according to his trainer and his jockey, won an old-fashioned staying chase here on Saturday as he ground out victory on deep going to win the Grade One Betfair Chase for the second time in three seasons. He could now start favourite for the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, a race he won last year, and was cut in the betting for the Gold Cup in March, in which he finished fourth eight months ago after jumping the last fence in front.
That failure to get up the hill at Cheltenham persuaded some observers that Silviniaco Conti’s stamina did not last out a demanding three-and-a-quarter miles. Paul Nicholls, his trainer, is convinced that the eight-year-old was not right, however, and will design the rest of his schedule this season around getting him back to Prestbury Park to dispel any doubts about his stamina.
“He’s always looked like a non-stayer at Cheltenham but he definitely wasn’t right when he jumped the last in the Gold Cup this year,” Nicholls said. “For some reason last season he hung left and right and didn’t gallop up the hill, and he did the same thing at Aintree [a few weeks later].
“The Monday after Aintree, I gastroscoped him, and he had Grade 4 ulcers, which is the worst you can get. When they come under pressure they can get in pain, and we’ve sorted that out now. I knew there had to be something stopping him at Cheltenham last season, so hopefully we can go forward with him now.”
Saturday’s race was run at a good pace from the off on ground that was officially soft after overnight rain. Cue Card, last year’s winner, set out to make the running but was not allowed an easy lead by his rivals and his jumping showed the pressure as he made several mistakes down the back.
He faded quickly in the straight as Noel Fehily, on Silviniaco Conti, struck for home, and while Menorah, from the in-form yard of Philip Hobbs, set off in pursuit, he never seemed likely to close the gap completely as Silviniaco Conti stayed on grimly for a two-length success. Dynaste, who finished second 12 months ago, was another eight lengths back in third.
“That’s two Betfairs and a King George and my mission now is to get him in the form of his life for the Gold Cup,” Nicholls said. “If he’d been right last year we might have had a different result, but he wasn’t and he didn’t but I’m convinced Cheltenham won’t be a problem for him.”
Silviniaco Conti is the new 6-1 favourite for the Gold Cup with Ladbrokes and the 3-1 favourite with the same firm to follow up last year’s King George victory, while his stablemate Al Ferof, an impressive winner on his seasonal debut at Ascot on Saturday, is a 12-1 chance to improve on last year’s third place at Kempton on Boxing Day.
The market leaders for the Champion Hurdle in March were both in action, but 50 minutes and 200 miles apart as The New One lined up for a new two-mile event here while Faugheen, Willie Mullins’s main contender for the race, went to post for the Coral Hurdle at Ascot.
Both horses went off at long odds-on and duly recorded easy wins, but Faugheen, who showed plenty of finishing speed at the end of two-and-a-half miles, made more impression in the ante-post betting and is now top-priced at 5-2 for the Champion Hurdle with The New One next in the list at 7-2.
Lizzie Kelly gave Aubusson a perfect ride to win the Betfair “This Is Play” “Fixed Brush” Handicap Hurdle. The 21-year-old refused to panic when challengers were queuing up behind her in the home straight as the giant five-year-old pulled out more after the second-last to win impressively from Big Easy.
Aubusson (9-1) was hassled for the lead early on but Kelly was not drawn into the early battle before taking up the running on the second circuit.
The Nick Williams-trained gelding jumped the fixed-brush hurdles with aplomb, and it was obvious running towards the last that the rest were treading water.
Big Easy honourably stuck to the task, but was beaten a length and three-quarters.
