Tiger Roll pulled up at Cheltenham, as Kingswell Theatre shines

Festival winner Easysland has to settle for fifth place.

Kingswell Theatre made every yard of the running to win the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase in which Tiger Roll was pulled up.

The Cheltenham feature was billed as a rematch between dual Grand National winner Tiger Roll and Easysland – his conqueror at the Festival in March.

However, from an early stage Tiger Roll never looked happy, with Robbie Power, riding Gordon Elliott’s charge for the first time, niggling along on the first circuit and eventually pulling him up just after halfway.

Power said: “He was travelling and he never had a cut at any of his fences.

“I pulled him up as he was in no sort of rhythm.”

Easysland travelled well enough until the final half a mile when he was unable to quicken and he crossed the line in fifth, as Michael Scudamore’s Kingswell Theatre (22-1) repeated his victory from three years ago.

Racing from 18lb out of the handicap, Kingswell Theatre stayed on strongly for Tom Scudamore to beat Beau Du Brizais by five lengths, with Welsh National winner Potters Corner running on encouragingly into third.

Jason Kiely, travelling head lad for Easysland trainer David Cottin, said: “He had a lot of weight on that ground first time out.

“He made a mistake halfway through the race and he just got tired in the end. He didn’t want to force him to do anything serious.

“He’ll be fine and we’ll look ahead to the next day.”

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