WESTERN Fold went off at 18/1 in the Champion Novice Chase after a heavy defeat in the Brown Advisory, but with listed, Grade 3 and Grade 2 wins to his name, a Grade 1 victory was sure to follow, writes Page Fuller.

Kitzbuhel did his normal thing in front, but a busy season at the top level had taken its toll, and not even the data could give any clues into his lacklustre effort. Every horse that finished hit their Top Speed three furlongs from home, as they swung into the bend. The two fastest at that point were Predators Gold and July Flower, hitting 33.83mph and 33.45mph respectively.

I expect in hindsight their riders may wish they kept their powder dry a bit longer, and Jack Kennedy was grateful that Western Fold wasn’t able to quicken with them. Both he and runner-up Fleur In The Park were sat at the back of the field with half a mile to run, but completely outstayed their rivals. They were the only two to complete the final half mile faster than 17 seconds.

As well as Western Fold winning the race from his superior stamina, his jumping made a massive difference as well. He gained a total of 4.6 lengths jumping on the field with Fleur In The Park only gaining 1.04 in total. He’s not going to be claiming the scalp of the likes of Gaelic Warrior, but this was an impressive performance nonetheless, and he should be feared when filling the gaps in the staying division next season.