Silviniaco Conti Chase
Grade 1, Kempton Park 14:05
£60,000 added,
5yo plus,
2m 4f, Class 1  
Saturday 11th January 2020

Free Racing Tips

1 Frodon 5/4
2 Keeper Hill 14/1
3 Top Notch 11/10F
5 ran Distances: 1¼l, 7l, 3l
Time: 5m 5.10s (slow by 7.10s)

Bryony Frost and Frodon returned to winning ways with a typically game performance.

The pair created headlines in the Ryanair Chase at last season’s Cheltenham Festival, as Frost became the first female rider to win a Grade One chase at the big meeting.

However, the first half of this campaign had not gone to plan for either, with Frodon disappointing in his two runs and Frost finding winners a little harder to come by.

Adopting their usual position at the head of affairs, Frodon looked a sitting duck as Daryl Jacob loomed up on the favourite Top Notch, with Keeper Hill also not out of it, but the race changed in a matter of strides.

As Frost asked for more, Frodon quickened and caught Top Notch flat footed and by the last fence it was Keeper Hill who was the main danger.

Paul Nicholls’ Frodon is nothing if not game, though, and was foot perfect at the last, coming away to win by a length and a quarter.

Frodon was treated for ulcers after his latest run at Haydock and connections were delighted to see him back on form.

With Nicholls on his annual holiday, assistant trainer Harry Derham said: “His ulcers were quite bad to be honest. We had to treat them. That was nice and was a bit more like it today.

“He jumped out to the left which wasn’t ideal. We will go for the Denman Chase next, then go from there. Paul had it in his head to go to the Denman Chase after this and that is what we will do. He is in the Ryanair and the Gold Cup.

“He is a fairly genuine horse, but he is probably getting a bit cute in his old age as a couple of times he was just flicking his ears.

“Every time one got to him, he kept going. He probably made life a bit hard for himself just shifting out to the left, but it is good to get him back winning again.

“It has not been testing (at home), we just gastroscoped him after the Betfair Chase as Paul felt we were missing something and fortunately that showed up and we sorted that out. He is now back to good form.

“I am of the belief there is more to come from him. I said earlier in the week he is in good nick, but I don’t think he is as good as we can get him and I would like to think as time goes along this season, he will get better.”

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Silviniaco Conti Chase (Grade 2)
£60,000 added, 5yo plus, 2m 4f 110y, Class 1
5 ran
Going: Good to Soft, Soft in places

POS FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1      Frodon 8 11-6 Paul Nicholls Bryony Frost 5/4
2 1¼ Keeper Hill 9 11-0 Warren Greatrex A P Heskin 14/1
3 7 Top Notch 9 11-6 Nicky Henderson Daryl Jacob 11/10F
4 3 Born Survivor 9 11-4 Dan Skelton Bridget Andrews 33/1
5 15 Kauto Riko 9 11-0 Tom Gretton David Noonan 12/1

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