CONDITIONS WERE ALWAYS going to suit Silviniaco Conti at Ascot today but the Paul Nicholls-trained horse still had a lot of questions to answer following a disappointing showing at Kempton last time out.
And the 10-year old answered them in some style, finishing 20 lengths clear of Dynaste to claim a seventh Grade One success.
In foul weather, the Tony Curran-trained Flemenstar was pulled up well before the finish, the 11-year-old unable to follow up his success in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas.
However, despite the nature of Silviniaco Conti’s win, Nicholls said after the race he has no intention of supplementing the Dom Alco gelding into Cheltenham and will, instead, head straight to Aintree and the Grand National.
“I was mortified after the King George, I couldn’t believe how badly he ran,” Nicholls told Racing UK.
“He was pain free today, blinkers were the right thing, the ground was right and he was back to his best. When he’s right he’s a very good horse, you have to be to win seven Grade Ones. When he’s right he’s very good, but we’ve struggled all season.
“He won’t run in the World Hurdle, it will either be the National or the Bowl that he’s won for the past few years. The Grand National is a big possibility and the weight he gets there is very tempting. He’s not unlike Neptune Collonges and he shares the same sire.”
Paddy Power cut his odds for the National to 20/1 from 33s following today’s win.
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