Somersby was the pride of Ascot on Saturday after getting the better of Finian’s Rainbow and Al Ferof in a thrilling climax to the Victor Chandler Chase.
It was compensation for the Henrietta Knight-trained eight-year-old who was a close second to Master Minded a year ago.
Always travelling and jumping well for Dominic Elsworth, the 9-2 shot challenged Finian’s Rainbow approaching the final fence and forged a length and a quarter clear, with Al Ferof a further 3-3/4 lengths third.
Knight is now favouring running Somersby in the Ryanair Chase, for which he is 6-1 joint-favourite with Coral.
“I questioned whether I’d made the right choice running him back over two miles but thought he deserved another pop at it as he’d gone so close last year,” Knight said.
“He has this one wonderful surge and Dominic got it dead right today.
“It’s the best January I can remember for us.”
Knight now has a choice of Cheltenham Festival races to consider but said he was not entered for the Gold Cup.
“If it were my choice I would like him to go for the Ryanair,” she said.
“I think that’s the right race for him.”
Finian’s Rainbow’s connections have the choice of taking Somersby on again in the Ryanair to stick to their original plan of the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
PA AAP TURF
