Betfair Chase report and replay: Royale Pagaille too good for rivals

Last year's winner Protektorat pulled his way to the front early on but was a spent force as the eventual 5/1 winner and 8/11 favourite Bravemansgame went past him down the back straight on the final circuit.

From that moment the battle lines were drawn and when the runner-up came under pressure from Daryl Jacob after the third last it was clear the winner was in front.

Safe leaps at the final two fences sealed matters and Venetia Williams' charge ran on strongly to the line to score by six-and-a-half lengths.

Corach Rambler came through to take third with Proketorat a very tired last of four.

Paddy Power cut Royale Pagaille to 14/1 from 25s for the King George at Kempton. Bravemansgame was eased out to 5/2 from 13/8 to repeat his Kempton win of last year on Boxing Day.

"It's so exciting. he's been burning for a while at this level without being able to catch fire but today he has," the winning trainer told ITV Racing.

"I thought more rain might have helped us but at the end of the day he's not a slow horse. The fact half of our recent runners have won gave us confidence and we'd had a clear run through with this horse. We could have run him last week in a much smaller handicap at Cheltenham but came here instead.

"There was the option to go to the Coral Gold Cup next week too but I was keen to come to Haydock. I think Charlie Deutsch is a very good rider and on days like this everyone else can see it as well."

Deserved big-race win for Pagaille

Deutsch said: “You don’t expect to win Grade Ones. This horse has been brilliant for us over the years but he’s always found it quite hard in Grade Ones.

“But today he wasn’t stopping and he came alive underneath me. I pulled him out wide and he’s enjoyed it down the back. He missed one or two but he’s been good and long at a few and then he just wasn’t stopping so I thought I’d just keep him rolling and see what happens.

“He does go quite well on soft but this is good to soft, soft and not too testing. He has been done for speed before but today he was a million dollars. Fair play to Venetia who’s got him in great form.”

King George next for Bravemansgame

Paul Nicholls said of Bravemansgame: "Today we have no excuses. He travelled well and four out Daryl thought he was going to win. You could say he got outstayed from the third last but he got beat by a better horse on the day.

"Daryl was thrilled with him, he jumped well, but just didn't win. We just have to get him back to his best for Kempton now and he'll go straight there."

No excuses from Skelton

Dan Skelton added of Protektorat: "I'm not making any excuses. I was very happy with his build-up, he did everything the same as last year but it's a different result. You just have to dust yourself down and go again. It wasn't really him on the way round, a bit of a scrappy jump at the first and he hung in the air at a few others.

"I wasn't making any excuses beforehand and I'm not going to be clever afterwards and try and make some because there aren't any. I don't want to say where we're going, we'll see how he is tomorrow but we'll make a decision from there.

"I did enter him for Leopardstown over Christmas rightly or wrongly because I do feel still he has a small preference for going left-handed but we'll see. This is sport. Sometimes you get beat and have to go again."

Rambler team pleased with National hero

Grand National titleholder Corach Rambler stayed on to claim third place at 18-1 and pleased trainer Lucinda Russell as the run was a big step forward from his well-beaten seasonal debut at Kelso.

She said: “I am delighted with that and he has stayed on really well. He has now just given us a dilemma as to what way we go with him. The horse means so much to us and we just want him to do well and be safe.

“He jumped a bit big early but once he got into his stride he was neat and professional. I am just so pleased with him.”

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