WITH Richard Johnson on the sidelines, there was a degree of trepidation about how the hugely popular Native River (Colin Tizzard/Jonjo O’Neill Jr) would gel with a new rider, given that he and the champion jockey have been viewed as a match made in heaven.

In the end, there was no need for concern, as the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner took his third Denman Chase at an SP of 2/5, matching Altior’s achievement in the Game Spirit, and he was not hard pressed to repel the late challenge of Secret Investor (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) by two and three quarter lengths, with the regressive Might Bite (Nicky Henderson/Nico de Boinville) beaten over 10 lengths in third in what was a rather disappointing field for the grade.