DISAPPOINTINGLY, Tom Topping’s Tikkanen gelding Yes Tom pulled up in the featured Perth Gold Cup at the Scottish track last Sunday but his trainer, Stuart Crawford, ended the day with a winner when Chitu justified 11/10 favouritism in the bumper.

Graham Slesser’s Desert King five-year-old was racing for the fourth time, his three previous outings also being across the water. On his last start, the bay gelding had finished eighth of 19 in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper (Grade at Aintree. He was ridden then, as on Sunday, by Steven Crawford.

Also at Perth, Brian Hughes partnered the Colin McBratney-trained Topper Thornton to victory in the two and a half-mile handicap hurdle. The Double Eclipse six-year-old was despatched 5/2 favourite in the nine-runner field having finished fourth of 18 in a three-mile maiden hurdle at Punchestown in May.