RSA CHASE (GRADE 1)

THE career ending injury suffered by No More Heroes cast a shadow over the race but all credit to Blaklion and Ryan Hatch who bridged a gap of some 23 years for Nigel Twiston-Davies in the RSA Chase.

This race looked set to serve up one of the clashes of the meeting between More Of That and No More Heroes – both of whom came into the race unbeaten over larger obstacles – but the pair had to settle for third and fourth respectively. Sadly No More Heroes sustained a severe tendon injury en route to finishing fourth while the third-placed More Of That was found to have burst blood vessels.

Nonetheless the plaudits go to the teak tough Blaklion, fresh from a Grade 2 win at Wetherby last month, who fended off Shaneshill in a gripping finale to give his trainer a first RSA triumph since Young Hustler in 1993.

ALL TO PLAY FOR

Only eight went to post for this contest but five of them still held every chance coming to the second last where No More Heroes was bravely clinging on to the lead.

He was then forced to give best coming away from the last where Paul Townend looked as though he might have pulled off the most sublime of waiting rides on Shaneshill.

No sooner had the last-named struck the front than he was hard pressed by Blaklion (8/1) who fought on tenaciously to the line to deny Shaneshill by half a length. There was eight lengths back to More Of That.

“He travelled great all the way but he had to go and pass them all and he did. He’s as hard as nails,’ reflected an ecstatic Hatch who was adding this triumph to his Kim Muir win on Same Difference in 2013. “He’s a very good horse and he helps you out. All I have to do is the steering and I have to thank Nigel – I just can’t believe some of the chances that he’s given me.”

As he greeted his sixteenth winner at this meeting Twiston-Davies reflected: “I’m just delighted. No one expected him to win but he’s a great horse. I was so gutted on Tuesday with The New One (who is also owned by Sarah Such and Gino Paletta) and maybe he’s not as good as he used to be but we have another one now.

“Ryan rode him beautifully. He should have been claiming three pounds but he wasn’t. What a good ride. I hope he can now make up into a Gold Cup horse. He’s not as big as Young Hustler or Imperial Commander but you can’t argue with what he’s done today.”