Champion win by Sprinter Sacre seals perfect 10

Now a perfect 10 from 10 start over fences, Nicky Henderson’s stable star was made to work by the veteran Sizing Europe before joining an elite list of horses who have won at the prestigious Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown festivals in the same season.

Sizing Europe did the pace-setting, with the 1-9 odds-on favourite in his slipstream, before Barry Geraghty’s mount exerted between the final two fences.

The most relieved man in Ireland was Henderson who decided to race the Queen Mother Champion Chase hero when many trainers would have put the horse out to grass for summer.

The winner of five starts this season, Henderson again maintained that this is the best horse that he has ever trained.

His other steeplechasing stalwart, Long Run, lines up in tonight’s three-mile Punchestown Gold Cup.

The dual King George winner will face seven rivals in the feature race of the meeting, including his stablemate Riverside Theatre.

The challenge is a formidable one – Willie Mullins runs Gold Cup runner-up Sir Des Champs while First Lieutenant, victorious in Aintree’s Betfred Bowl under an inspired Bryan Cooper, is another formidable opponent in this stellar three-mile race.

It will be a first ride at the course for Long Run’s jockey Sam Waley-Cohen.

n Trainer Clive Cox has named the Duke of York Stakes on day one of the Dante Festival as the seasonal starting point for his exciting four-year-old Lethal Force.

The son of Dark Angel is one of the stars of Cox’s Lambourn-based stable and he will bid to become the first of his age group to win this £100,000 Group 2 contest since Kevin Ryan trained Amadeus Wolf to victory back in 2007.

Fellow emerging speedsters Mince and Yorkshire-trained Pearl Secret are among a 39-strong entry for Dante Festival’s showcase sprint on May 15. More experienced campaigners in the race include two-time Group 1 winner Society Rock and Hawkeyethenoo.