Henry VIII Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

THE Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown was run in a much faster time than the Tingle Creek, largely due to a very solid pace set by uneasy favourite Third Time Lucki (Dan/Harry Skelton).

However, the dual Cheltenham winner did not jump Sandown’s fences with the same alacrity as he had on previous starts, and he was in trouble as the field turned for home, with the well-backed 3/1 second choice Edwardstone (Tom Cannon) travelling notably well as the leader came under strong pressure.

When Alan King’s gelding hit the front jumping the penultimate fence, the question was how far he would score by, as his main rival had no more to offer, eventually conceding second in a photo with Colin Tizzard’s War Lord (Brendan Powell).

That winning margin was an impressive 16 lengths and, while the race set up nicely for the son of Kayf Tara, he impressed with the way he finished off given the strength of the early pace.

He was placed in the Betfair Hurdle and not beaten far under a big weight when fifth in the County Hurdle last March, so neither bigger fields nor the Cheltenham track should bother him, and he has established himself as the leading British hope for the Arkle next spring, accepting that the Irish challenge looks notably strong.

Vanquished

It’s hard to make excuses for the vanquished, although Il Ridoto was coming back after just a week off, and seemed to run very flat having won with some ease at Newbury.

He can have this run ignored, but Third Time Lucki, for all he did too much on softer ground than ideal, looks a weak finisher still, and he probably needs a sound surface and an absolute test of speed to show his best.

Edwardstone was brought down on his return to fences at Warwick before an easy win there last time. Alan King was thrilled with this performance, although revealed that the race was not really part of his plan:

“Edwardstone was progressive over hurdles, and we tried him over fences last year. He unseated at Doncaster, and it was too late to keep going but his form back over hurdles last season was as good as ever, and we got a nice confidence-booster into him last time.

“I didn’t really want to come here. If I could have found a two-miler with a penalty I probably would have gone somewhere else, but they weren’t around. He’s bred for a trip but doesn’t need any further yet.

“He’s had three fairly quick runs so it’s a nice problem to have now. I hope and think he’s an Arkle horse, so we’ll work backwards from there. The Kingmaker would be the ideal one, but he’ll probably want a race in between.”