IN a race where the great Tiger Roll twice came up short, his Gordon Elliott-trained stablemate Champagne Classic showed that he should be set for a good season after disposing of Discorama in the Listed M.W. Hickey Memorial Chase.

Only four runners went to post for the track’s biggest race of the year but this quartet featured the aforementioned duo who boasted impressive credentials. Champagne Classic is a former Cheltenham Festival hero and the 149-rated Discorama was second in the National Hunt Chase in March before ending his season with a runner-up finish to Delta Work in Puchestown.