Ruth Jefferson left thrilled but also frustrated at Sandown

She was thrilled that the horse, dropping back in trip to two miles, put up such a fantastic performance in defeat to Defi Du Seuil and the veteran Un De Sceaux.

But the Malton trainer was slightly frustrated that the horse, owned by Richard Collins, could not quite overhaul the deficit on a pulsating run-in at the end of this Grade One race.

“He’s fine and it was lovely to see him back to his old self,” she told The Yorkshire Post. “I don’t think the trip inconvenienced him. It was a great run and they (Defi Du Seuil and Un De Sceaux) just got first run on him.”

She will look at two-mile races over the Christmas period for Waiting Patiently, the mount of Brian Hughes; these include a Grade One contest at Leopardstown and the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton.

The problem, she says, is a shortage of two-and-a-half mile races for elite horses.

“Brian said he got a bit wound up by the false start,” she added.

“I don’t think he got outpaced, I just think he got a bit surprised coming back to two miles. He travelled well and jumped well and has stayed on like an express train.”