At The Races

This latest addition to the Cheltenham Festival schedule, introduced for the first time here and honouring Martin Pipe's 34 career victories at the fixture, looked enormously competitive.

Pipe's son David saddled seven of the line-up, including the top four in the handicap, Gaspara, Acambo, Piraya and Mamlook, and five of their opponents had last-time-out victories on their records, suggesting they were bang-in-form and almost certainly progressive.

ANDYTOWN had taken a similar contest on this course in November and, once again partnered here by useful claimer Felix de Giles, he collected on this return visit, bursting to the front approaching the final flght and running out a nine-length winner at 25-1.

Successful trainer Nicky Henderson said afterwards that the six-year-old, who had apparently detested chasing when tried over fences on his most recent outing, had been much happier since schooling over smaller obstacles at home at that he was not unfancied, despite his long price.

Midnight Chase, prominent throughout here, stayed on well to take second, rewarding anyone who backed him with the place part of his 100-1 odds, while Big Eared Fran, David Pipe's leading contender according to the betting market, took third.

Pipe's six-year-old, a well backed 7-2 chance, was officially 4lb well-in, despite carrying a 5lb penalty, after landing a competitive handicap over virtually this distance at Sandown six days previously.

He had scored with something to spare there, but, unless this contest came just too soon for him, he is going to struggle to ovecome his new mark.

Font, from the Paul Nicholls stable, fought on bravely towards the finish, challenging Big Eared Fran for third before narrowly having to give best, but several others with prominent places in the betting disappointed.

Among them was Penn Da Benn, from Alan King's yard, which has found it tough going throughout the Festival.

Penn Da Benn was bidding for a hat-trick, having won at Exeter in January and at Wincanton the following month, and his stamina for this trip was not in doubt, so he might have been expected to fare better than he did.

The six-year-old had gone up 10lb for his latest success, though, which obviously made his life more difficult, and, although he had scored comfortably by four lengths on that occasion, it is possible that he is simply in the grip of the handicapper, rather than suffering from some Barbary Castle malaise.

The same weight-related issue may now be afflicting Little Shilling, who has achieved great feats for trainer Tim Vaughan this season.

He lined up with six successive wins under his belt, but the assessor had inevitably taken revenge for those victories, raising the seven-year-old's rating from 77 in October to 130 for this contest, so it may be a while before he collects again.