Cyrname tops 10 in contention for Ascot Chase honours

PA Sport Reporters
February 15, 2021 1:30 pm

Stablemate Master Tommytucker also in Grade One contest.

Cyrname is one of 10 contenders for Saturday’s Betfair Ascot Chase.

The Paul Nicholls-trained nine-year-old needs to bounce back to form having failed to finish in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Prior to that, he had looked as good as ever when winning the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and he did claim the Ascot Chase in 2019.

Nicholls could also run Master Tommytucker, who has won three times already this season.

On the ratings, Cyrname’s main opponent is the Colin Tizzard-trained Lostintranslation, who is dropping down in trip.

Winner of last season’s Betfair Chase, he was only narrowly beaten in the Gold Cup in March, but was a distant third in the Betfair Chase in November and once again failed to run his race in the King George.

Last year’s Ascot Chase hero Riders Onthe Storm is back again for Nigel Twiston-Davies, but he has yet to return to that sort of form in two outings this term.

Saint Calvados, a narrow second in last term’s Ryanair Chase and fourth in the King George, could try to make amends after unseating Gavin Sheehan in the rearranged Cotswold Chase at Sandown.

Bennys King, Dashel Drasher, Fanion D’Estruval, Kalashnikov and Terrefort complete the list.