The
Paul Nicholls-trained Silviniaco Conti put up an impressive
performance to get the better of last month’s Betfair
Chase
winner Cue Card in a tremendous renewal of the Grade 1 King George VI
Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and now looks a genuine contender
for top honours in March in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Third
on his seasonal return at Haydock behind the Colin Tizzard-trained
Cue Card, the French bred seven-year-old had clearly come on a good
deal for his first run of the term and he was the only horse able to
stay with Cue Card as last term’s Ryanair Chase hero set a
searching gallop in testing ground at the Sunbury track.
By
the final turn, only Silviniaco Conti remained as a danger to Cue
Card, former champion Long Run having failed to respond to first-time
blinkers while Dynaste failed to make the grade.
Al
Ferof plugged on to take third, but up front it was Silviniaco
Conti
under a fine ride from Noel Fehily who leaped into the lead at the
penultimate fence and eventually came away to score by
three-and-a-half-lengths as the gallant Cue Card finally ran out of
gas.
Punters
reacted quickly to the impressive victory with Silviniaco Conti being
slashed to a top price of 4.9 favourite on Betfair
having
traded at double figures prior to his Kempton victory. Bobs Worth,
the defending champion is now a 5.9 shot in the latest
odds,
while Ireland’s Sir Des Champs, runner-up to Bobs Worth in the blue
riband contest last season, now offered at 7.4.
Cue
Card (9.8) is expected by many to head for a repeat bid for the
Ryanair Chase over a shorter trip and is a clear 4.7 ante-post
favourite on Betfair
to land the two-mile-five –furlong event once again.