JNwine.com Champion Chase
Grade 1, Down Royal 14:35 €140,000 added, 5yo plus, 3m
Saturday 5th November 2016

1 Valseur Lido 2/1F
2 Silviniaco Conti 11/4
3 Lord Scoundrel 25/1
7 ran Distances: 11l, 4½l, 5½l
TIME 6m 0.30s (slow by 15.30s)

Valseur Lido puts in a professional display to win the Champion Chase

Valseur Lido
© Caroline Norris

Valseur Lido impressed at Down Royal but Don Poli was pulled up on his reappearance.

Gordon Elliott had warned that the Cheltenham Gold Cup third would need the run on his debut for the stable and the notoriously lazy racer received reminders passing the winning post for the first time.

In sharp contrast, Ruby Walsh, sporting the blue cap of owners Gigginstown House Stud, was always travelling comfortably on the winner as Silviniaco Conti jumped for fun in the lead.

Paul Nicholls' gallant 10-year-old had a number of rivals in trouble after the field had completed a circuit of the track but Valseur Lido, now with Henry de Bromhead, was not one of them.

Walsh covered the leader's every move and drew alongside rounding the home turn on the approach to the second last. The pair leapt into the lead and the 2/1 favourite quickened clear to win by 11 lengths.

Silviniaco Conti kept on well for second.

Walsh said: "He travelled super, he jumped super, but he didn't do anything that he hasn't done in the past."

De Bromhead added: "He had been working very well. He's new to the yard, so you don't really know, but he did a lovely piece of work the other day.

"In that piece of work he just showed a gear that a real good three-miler may not necessarily have.

"We offered the ride to Ruby and he came back and said he wanted to ride him.

"I'll speak to Michael and Eddie (O'Leary, of Gigginstown) and see what we'll do for the future."

When asked about the possibility of Valseur Lido dropping down in trip, De Bromhead added: "I wouldn't imagine so, but he's new to me and Michael, Eddie and Ruby know more about him.

"It looked at any stage of the race he could have picked them up. He seemed to be travelling so well."

Sky Bet cut the winner to 14/1 from 25s for the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup and 10/1 from 25s for the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park.

Spokesman Michael Shinners said: "Don Poli may have disappointed but he'll be back and Gigginstown have a plethora of top class chasers to juggle.

"It remains to be seen where Valseur Lido heads next but wherever he ends up he'll be a force to be reckoned with and Henry de Bromhead will have been delighted with the ease of the victory."

JNwine.com Champion Steeplechase
€140,000 added, 5yo plus, 3m
7 ran
Going: Good, Good to Yielding in places