Jumps racing phenomenon Sprinter Sacre has stretched his winning streak to nine in the Grade One Melling Chase at Aintree.
The seven-year-old, known as the Frankel of the jumps scene, made light of the extra half-mile (800m) to his preferred distance of two miles to cruise home 4-1/2 lengths clear of the much-fancied Cue Card.
Irish raider Flemenstar, who had missed last month’s Cheltenham Festival specifically for Friday’s race, was a distant third.
Sprinter Sacre, trained by Nicky Henderson, had failed to win on his previous outing over the distance in a hurdle race a couple of years ago but never looked troubled under Barry Geraghty.
Geraghty brought him alongside Cue Card, who won impressively over this distance at Cheltenham, in the run-up to the final fence and then eased him home at the prohibitive odds of 1-3.
Henderson, who looks almost certain to be crowned British champion trainer this season, has trained many great horses through the past 30 years but Sprinter Sacre, winner of 12 of his 14 starts and placed in the other two, is the best for him.
“Barry was never worried about it (the trip),” Henderson said.
“When you get something as special as that you have to mind it, you have to look after it. That is as good as you get.”
Geraghty, who teamed up with Henderson to land the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month with Bobs Worth, also professed that Sprinter Sacre was a bit out of the ordinary.
“He’s something special, he’s perfection. He was foot perfect,” the 33-year-old Irishman said.
