Monet's Garden looking a picture

Monet's Garden proved himself no back number as the 12-year-old belied his veteran status to land a third Grade One win in the Betfair Ascot Chase on Saturday.

The grey scored in this race in 2007 but had not made his mark in top-flight company since April of that year when winning the Melling Chase at Aintree.

Nicky Richards's gallant grey finished midfield here in November but fared much better after a 91-day break and he soon shook off the attentions of Herecomesthetruth over the first couple of fences.

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Barry Geraghty's mount ground his rivals into submission to have matters sewn up before the turn for home.

The 11-2 chance was still going strong as he crossed the line a length-and-a-half clear of Albertas Run, with The Sawyer finishing well for third.

Richards said: "Brilliant, wasn't it? When he is right he is great and he got into a lovely rhythm.

"Barry and him get a great tune from each other and any jockey would be happy sitting on top of him singing a song and enjoying it.

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"He is now into the veteran stage so he will tell us when he is ready to run again. There is Aintree or we could wait until Perth in the Spring.

"All being well and if he is fit we will back here again next year."

Richards had taken a handful of his horses down to Geoff Wragg's Newmarket yard in mid-December when the arctic conditions froze his northerly base.

Richards added: "We had 10 boxes down at Mr Wragg's and I don't imagine he has had too many Grade One chasers in his yard.

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"Mr Wragg has been a gentleman to let us use his yard, and there will be a few bottles of wine on the way to him after this!"

Geraghty said: "He loves it and for a 12-year-old he is so game. They say older pilots aren't so brave but that is not the case with him and he is the bravest I have ridden."

Albertas Run had landed the November race in which Monet's Garden had disappointed but Jonjo O'Neill's runner was comprehensively beaten on this occasion. The trainer said: "It was a good run, just not quite good enough on the day and your man Monet's Garden is a great horse on his day."

The Sawyer was the 20-1 outsider of the five runners and belied his odds to finish a little under two lengths behind Albertas Run.

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His trainer, Bob Buckler, said: "I dread to think what the handicapper will do now but the plan is to go for the two-mile-five race at Cheltenham and we think we've found a two-mile-six race at Autueil in May that might suit him well."

Nicky Henderson is pinning his hopes on a two-mile hurdle race being added to the card at Kempton on Saturday to enable Punjabi to have a preparatory outing ahead of the Cheltenham Festival.

The holder of the Champion Hurdle title was due to run at Wincanton on Saturday, only for the meeting to be abandoned after a heavy overnight frost.

Plans had been in place on Friday to move the race to Ascot should the plug have been pulled earlier and Henderson is keen that the British Horseracing Authority and other stakeholders come up with a replacement.

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BHA public relations manager Paul Struthers said: "We will consider the situation on Monday. It may be that we don't save the Kingwell but instead look to put on a conditions hurdle over two miles.

"We will make a final decision on Monday after discussions with racecourses, the Levy Board and connections."

Henderson said: "It is very disappointing to lose the race when it would have suited everybody to have run it at Ascot.

"Everything was in place to transfer it and it has been lost when it needn't have been."

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Donald McCain was delighted with Cloudy Lane's performance in finishing fourth in Saturday's Rendlesham Hurdle at Haydock.

The 10-year-old had not run over the smaller obstacles since winning the "Fixed Brush" Final on Merseyside in April, 2006 but showed up well for a long way behind Souffleur.

All roads now lead back to Aintree for the Grand National in which he has run for the last two years, with a prep race in the Grimthorp at Doncaster or a race at Kelso in a fortnight.

Today's National Hunt fixture at Market Rasen has been abandoned due to frost and snow and Southwell's meeting tomorrow is subject to a noon inspection today.