ALTIOR SENT OUT an ominous reminder to his Champion Chase rivals as he put any fitness fears to bed in winning the Betfair Exchange Chase at Newbury this afternoon.
This was a first appearance since April for Nicky Henderson’s superstar, who needed a wind operation in the autumn.
And he looked totally at ease in winning the three-runner feature on Saturday’s card.
Sent off the 1/3 favourite with Nico de Boinville on board, he had four lengths to spare over Politologue with the outsider Valdez — running himself for the first time in more than 1200 days — a distant third.
Altior wins the @Betfair Exchange Chase @NewburyRacing on his seasonal debut and remains unbeaten over fences (7-7).
— Racing UK (@Racing_UK) February 10, 2018
Results ➡️ https://t.co/7iJOPsvjqx pic.twitter.com/eV7CZnFYcT
The other Grade 2 contest of the day, the Denman Chase, went to Native River (8/11 fav) — a comfortable 12-length winner over Cloudy Dream.
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