3 minute read

Oscar Elite provided Joe Tizzard with a first Graded race winner in his own name when outpointing the odds-on favourite Bold Endeavour in the Bateaux London Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot.

Placed in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival in his days over hurdles, he also went close at the big meeting last year in the Ultima Handicap Chase as a novice.

Having failed to win over fences to date, he brought plenty of experience to the table as a second-season novice but he looked up against it, sent off at 6-1 in a three-runner affair.

However, proving once again that he reserves his best form for the spring, Oscar Elite put in some big leaps on the way round for Harry Cobden, who can do little wrong at present, and he was too strong in the straight for the favourite, winning by seven and a half lengths.

"There's no doubt he comes better in the spring. We fancied him going into the Coral Gold Cup but it all happened too quickly for him and they got him at it. On his day he's got an engine," said Tizzard.

"I saw this was going to cut-up and thought it would give him a confidence-booster if nothing else. He was able to get in a lovely rhythm and the further he went, the more he enjoyed it.

"He looked like he was going to win the Ultima jumping the last and then he had a trapped epiglottis at Aintree. You can kind of forgive him getting his confidence back. He'll go back to the Ultima now and then there's the novice options at Aintree.

"He had some stiff tasks last year, we threw him in at the deep end on a number of occasions. In the future he could be a National horse."

Betfair cut the winner to 8-1 from 16s for the Ultima next month.

Christian Williams had made no secret that Cap Du Nord (11-2) would be fully tuned up for the LK Bennett Swinley Handicap Chase and the stable favourite duly obliged.

A seasoned campaigner, his programme almost picks itself these days but Williams decided on a change of tack this year by skipping the Coral Trophy that he won last season at Kempton in favour of this race.

Williams had been fearful he would miss the cut next week off a rating of 127 but he showed he was well capable of winning off it, bounding clear under Jack Tudor to beat Neon Moon by seven lengths.

"We think Frodon is going for the race next week which will push us out of the weights so we played our hand this week instead," said Williams.

"It's great to get an Ascot winner for the horse, Jack and the owners. He's only a 125-127 rated horse but he means as much to us as a 160 horse would in another yard. He wins a big TV race for us every year.

"I bought him off a friend of mine, Pat Doyle, and as his confirmation wouldn't be great, he wasn't one for the sales so we bought him and it's a great story.

"There's no secret, every time he gets to 130 or above he cannot win a race, it's in black and white for everyone to see. He ran well at Doncaster last time and Jack is still annoyed about not winning, so it goes to show he was unlucky that day – but he's put it right today."