Betfair Chase: Royale Pagaille upsets Bravemansgame at Haydock as defending champion Protektorat flops
Royale Pagaille shone brightest at his favourite track when upsetting Bravemansgame to land the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
The nine-year-old was second in this race in 2021 and returned to the Grade One contest at a price of 5/1 under Charlie Deutsch, having never been out of the first two in four previous trips to the Merseyside venue.
Dan Skelton's Protektorat was occasionally erratic in his jumping and Lucinda Russell's Corach Rambler, the reigning Grand National hero, found the race happening at too quick a pace.
It was left to Royale Pagaille and Paul Nicholls' Bravemansgame, the 8/11 favourite, to share the lead in the battle for top honours.
In the closing stages, it was Venetia Williams' charge who pushed on, jumping well over the final two fences to claim his biggest success to date by six and a half lengths. Corach Rambler was another nine lengths back in third.
Williams, who has her string in red-hot form, said: "Charlie got him into a great rhythm but he said for the first circuit he was quite laid back and not really grabbing the bridle, it wasn't until he pulled him out wide that he did.
"He jumped very well, but if you'd seen him school on Thursday you wouldn't believe it. But that's him, he shows very little at home and switches it on for the races.
"You'd have to say that's a career-best from him. All horses have their day and have their lesser days. If all the others were at the top of their game then it might put a different light on it. The same applies to us on other days, on this day we were the best.
"Cheltenham is a unique course, you go up and down and round. Courses like this, dead flat, there shouldn't be hard luck stories so you should have the best horse winning."
She went on: "I'm not saying he's gone into any Gold Cup as favourite, but it's a trappy course. It has to be, as it tests the best, just like the Derby at Epsom.
"He's run in the last three Gold Cups, he should have only been in two but his owners Susannah and Rich (Ricci) had Monkfish who was red-hot favourite in the novice race and duly won.
"He has never had his ground at Cheltenham. Who knows, this year he might. Grade Ones are very hard to get so I'm absolutely thrilled for everyone at the yard.
"I'm glad the Irish didn't come but they will be at Cheltenham! I wouldn't have thought we'd be going to take them on over there, we've got a lot of nice races here anyway. This ranks pretty high in my career, we've won a lot of nice races but this one is up there."
Kamsinas built on the promise of his previous outing when landing the Betfair Racing Podcasts Newton Novices' Hurdle.
Trained by Fergal O'Brien, the six-year-old had gone close in Grade Two company at Cheltenham behind Neil King's Lookaway and when the winner ran a big race in the Greatwood Hurdle afterwards, O'Brien knew he had a nice youngster on his hands.
He was taking on a couple of well-regarded types in Henry Daly's Bowenspark and the Lucinda Russell-trained Primoz, but they could not live with Kamsinas (16-5) in the straight.
Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero's Making Headway tried to make a race of it, but still went down by a length and a quarter behind Paddy Brennan on the winner.
Emmet Mullins pulled off another masterstroke as Slate Lane ran away with the £150,000 Betfair "Serial Winners" Stayers' Handicap Hurdle.
Owned by Paul Byrnes, the man behind so many of Mullins' breakthrough horses, Slate Lane (11/4 favourite) was winning for the fourth time in succession.
Grey Dawning put up an assured display to win the Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase.
Trained by Dan Skelton, Grey Dawning impressed when winning a Grade Two over hurdles at Warwick last season and was still travelling well when falling in the Sefton Novices' Hurdle won by Apple Away.
That Lucinda Russell-trained mare was in opposition once more, making her chasing debut, but Grey Dawning had a run over fences under his belt behind the classy Stay Away Fay at Exeter when third.
That experience clearly stood him in good stead as while the Grand National third Gaillard Du Mesnil's jumping went to pieces a little, Grey Dawning gained lengths at every fence.
Harry Skelton's positive nature seemed to gel perfectly with him, and the 2/1 chance bounded nine and a half lengths away from Gaillard Du Mesnil, who understandably found the two-mile-five trip on the short side.
Skelton hopes the handicapper does not get too carried away after Real Stone coasted to victory in the betting.betfair.com Handicap Chase.
When his two main market rivals, Cheddleton and Pay The Piper, dropped away, the 15/8 favourite coasted to a 20-length win under Harry Skelton.
Stuart Crawford ran two in the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle, both owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, and with Daryl Jacob unable to get down to 10st 3lb on Park Annonciade it was left to Ben Bromley to do the steering.
Son of the racing manager of the owners, Anthony Bromley, his 5lb allowance took his weight down even lower, the 3/1 joint-favourite beating Stainsby Girl by two and three-quarter lengths.
