Royal Pagaille eyeing Peter Marsh repeat
Last year’s winner back for more in Haydock heat.
Royale Pagaille bids to become the first horse in over 20 years to claim back-to-back victories in the Peter Marsh Chase on Saturday. Four Cheltenham Gold Cup heroes are among the previous winners of the prestigious handicap, with Little Owl (1981), Bregawn (1982), The Thinker (1987) and Jodami (1993 and 1997) all on the roll of honour. The last horse to successfully defend the Peter Marsh crown was General Wolfe in 1999 – and his trainer Venetia Williams will be hoping Royal Pagaille can repeat the feat at Haydock this weekend. The eight-year-old produced a performance of rare dominance 12 months ago, with his 16-length romp earning him a 10lb rise in the weights and tilt at Gold Cup glory.😮Wow! Royale Pagaille makes easy work of the Peter Marsh! @tommyscu does the steering in the Ricci colours, as the talented @VenetiaWRacing gelding canters to success under top weight 🏆 pic.twitter.com/DaOZuidWaV
— Haydock Park Races (@haydockraces) January 23, 2021
He returned lame at Cheltenham, but made an encouraging start to the new season when a clear second to Gold Cup runner-up A Plus Tard in Haydock’s Betfair Chase in November. A further setback ruled out an intended tilt at the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day, but Royale Pagaille will nevertheless be expected to put up a bold showing on his return to Merseyside. Williams said: “It is nice to know we are going back to a course where he knows his way round there. The top-weight is 11-10 and it is not quite the same – half a dozen pounds less than in a normal handicap, but he is there for a reason, there because of what he has done before. “He has to give away a lot of weight, but we hope he will go well.”
🐎 Empire Steel delivers a solid round of jumping to land the Cheltenham Gold At https://t.co/x3LfA5xOH3 Novices’ Chase by a wide margin for @LambdenRacing 👏 pic.twitter.com/YRvDgywy8B
— Kelso Racecourse (@KelsoRacecourse) February 19, 2021
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