CYRNAME ENDED ALTIOR’S unbeaten record over jumps in Saturday afternoon’s much-anticipated clash between the two chasing heavyweights at Ascot.
Paul Nicholls’ young pretender (5/2) led from wire to wire to win the Christy 1965 Chase by two-and-a-quarter lengths in the hands of Harry Cobden.
Altior (1/3 fav) had never lost in his previous 19 outings over jumps, winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 2018 and 2019, and hadn’t been beaten under rules since a Punchestown bumper back in April 2015.
But stepped up in trip to 2m5f on soft ground, he wasn’t able to close the gap on his younger rival.
“Nico [de Boinville, Altior's jockey] hasn’t seen him that tired before,” trainer Nicky Henderson told Sky Sports Racing afterwards. “He has put a lot into it.”
Later at Ascot, Harry Fry’s If The Cap Fits (3/1) was pushed all the way to the line in the Coral Hurdle but held on to win by a half-length from 6/4 favourite Call Me Lord.
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