Northern lights up at Cheltenham

Northern Beau (12-1) was game and if not more under jockey Brendan Powell to take the Cheltenham Club Handicap Chase (Class 2) for trainer Michael Scudamore and owners Lynne and Angus Maclennan.

Under the feather weight of 10 stone, the 6-year-old mare seemed to be in a spot of bother going to the fences away from the stands, and indeed at the first two she was sticky. Croco Bay, the 2019 Grand Annual winner and twice the winner's senior, took them along in his customary front-running style under Kielan Woods. Destrier, for the Skelton team, was happy to bob along and sit in midfield, with the likes of Theinval, Ballywood and Eamon an Cnoic happy to sit towards the back.

Magnificent leaps at the first open ditch saw Croco Bay and Destrier into a good rhythm, and coming down the hill the one horse really struggling was Theinval, who became detached just after the fence at the top of the hill. Destrier then loomed menacingly behind Croco Bay and looked the main danger. However, all this time, Brendan Powell had been nudging away at Northern Beau, and the mare entered the straight on the outside of a line of three, and took it up. Skelton then pressed go on Destrier, the Haldon Gold Cup third, but the petrol tank was beginning to splutter, and the powerful run that had been so eye-catching moments before petered out to nothing between the final two fences. Eamon an Cnoic, who departed the scene very early on in the Betvictor Gold Cup, then loomed large on the outside to deliver his challenge. But Northern Beau was very keen for her rider's urgings, and did just enough to prevail, with Ballywood finishing best of all to get third place.

Photos: Tom Williams / JTW Equine Images.