Edwardstone is fit for a King

EDWARDSTONE laid down his claim to be Britain’s top two-mile chaser with an emphatic nine-length win in the Grade One Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.

The Alan King-trained eight-year-old was at the top of the novice chase ranks last season winning the Arkle Challenge Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival but his victory from 2021 Tingle Creek winner Greaneteen with favourite Shishkin six lengths further back in third took his form to a new level.

Edwardstone, who led at the second-last fence under jockey Tom Cannon, had been denied the chance of a prep run because of unsuitable quick ground and King, winning his first Tingle Creek, admitted the gelding had performed better than he could have hoped for.

The trainer said: ‘I said to Tom don’t be too hard if it is not happening.

‘He had come to a Grade One without a prep run and mine usually improve for a run. If we had finished third or fourth I would have been happy but I am ecstatic now.

‘The Tingle Creek is one of my favourite races and I think I have been second in it three times. To win it is very special.’

Edwardstone is now 7-2 secondfavourite for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March. He could run next in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton on December 27.

One rival he will not be meeting again is Shishkin. He was ‘flat-out all the way’, according to trainer Nicky Henderson, and will be stepped up in trip with a shot at three miles not ruled out.

‘I think it was fairly obvious from halfway down the back straight he was going as fast as his legs could carry him,’ said Henderson.

‘He jumped really well, and he carried himself well. He kept at it, but you always felt they were going a stride too quick for him, and it looked that way.’

Despite being outpaced going along the back and crossing the famous Railway fences, Shishkin had worked his way into a position to challenge approaching the Pond Fence that is three from home.

But a jolting mistake put paid to any chances of winning and he was eventually 15 lengths adrift of the Alan King-trained winner.

Henderson continued: ‘He came into the race at the third-last and he made a mess of that then he was in the car park and it was game over.’