KITZBUHEL promised us everything when landing the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Christmas, and it was heartbreaking to see him fluff his lines in the Scilly Isles, writes Page Fuller

What would have been, we will never know, but after his performance in the Brown Advisory on Wednesday, you have to believe he should be a three-time Grade 1 winner by now.

The ground dried up to Good later in the day, and he obviously thrives on this tighter surface. Harry Cobden gave him a phenomenal ride in front. He set strong, even fractions and allowed him to find his feet in the jumping department.

He approached his fences on average at 29.9 mph, which is the fastest any of the last three Brown Advisory winners clocked in the race. He also hit a Top Speed faster than 35mph down the hill, as he did in the Kauto Star, highlighting that he has pace over this trip.

The main thing was that his jumping was exceptional, as his career best Jump Index of 9.2 out of 10 highlights. He only lost 3.07mph on average at his obstacles, which is very fast for a chaser, and it was the best jumping performance of his career.

It’s pretty rare to get cut in the ground for the Grand National meeting, so the Mildmay Novices’ Chase looks tailor-made for him over a sharp three miles at Aintree.

Whether he heads anywhere after that, who knows, but he’s a very exciting prospect for Christmas next year back at Kempton in the King George.