Balder dashes away to claim Ascot glory

BALDER SUCCES staked his claim for Cheltenham glory with a clear-cut victory in the Betfair Ascot Chase at the Berkshire track.

The 4-1 shot, trained by Alan King, put his rivals to the sword once Wayne Hutchinson took him to the front at the fourth-last.

Ma Filleule tried to make a challenge, but Balder Succes always had her measure as he jumped superbly.

A typically brilliant leap at the last confirmed the win as he scored by three and a quarter lengths to register a second Grade One triumph (below).

Leading novice Ptit Zig, the 6-4 favourite, fell at the ninth fence.

‘This a horse who has been great to me. The owners have been very supportive and it’s for the team,’ said Hutchinson.

‘Good horses like Voy Por Ustedes and My Way De Solzen don’t come along very often. He’s a flag bearer for us.’

King said: ‘After today’s performance we’ve got to stick to the Ryanair route.

‘Over two and a half they just go that halfstride steadier early on.

‘While he’d been running well in the early season, those good two-milers were just getting him out of his comfort zone. Now he’s won the last twice over that bit further,’ he added.

Balder Succes has an unfortunate record at Cheltenham, failing to complete in three outings.

‘He fell in the Triumph and unseated in the Champion Hurdle, but he would have won over fences (as a novice) as he was bolting up but fell at the last fence because of the low sun,’ said King.

‘He was very good today and since going over fences he has been good all the way through.

‘Obviously he made the odd mistake over two as he was out of his comfort zone. but that was just what I wanted to see today - he is maybe a bit under the radar still, but I am not worried about that.’ Ma Filleule’s trainer Nicky Henderson is eyeing a rematch at the Festival next month. ‘She run a super race and she will come on a bit for that,’ said Henderson. ‘I suspect Ryanair will be the race for her. She travels and jumps and at that distance you can fire her into her fences which you couldn’t do if you went any further. If you go any further with her you would have to curtail her jumping.’