Henderson delighted as Champ chases home Sceau Royal
Gold Cup hope takes second in Game Spirit at Newbury.
Nicky Henderson was thrilled to see Champ enhance his Cheltenham Gold Cup credentials in defeat after finding only Sceau Royal too strong in the Betfair Game Spirit Chase at Newbury. Having been off the track since claiming a last-gasp victory in what is now the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at last season’s Cheltenham Festival, the JP McManus-owned Champ was originally due to make his long-awaited return in the three-mile Betfair Denman Chase. However, with Newbury’s Betfair Super Saturday card pushed back eight days after the original fixture was frozen off, Henderson made the surprise decision to instead run Champ over an extended two miles in the Game Spirit, due to the meeting’s proximity to the Festival. Ridden forward by Nico de Boinville back over this shorter trip, Champ travelled with zest and jumped with accuracy, before eventually being reeled in by Alan King’s proven two-miler Sceau Royal (3-1 favourite) and Daryl Jacob.So good from Sceaux Royal 👑
The Alan King star ⭐ goes one better in this years renewal of the @Betfair Game Spirit Chase 🙌 Congratulations to connections @Dazjacob10, @simon_munir and the Alan King Team 👏 pic.twitter.com/pMncmDt79Z — Newbury Racecourse (@NewburyRacing) February 21, 2021
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