Comeback of A Plus Tard

Haydock, Saturday 19 November: Top-class steeplechasing will be on offer at Haydock Park today, where the Group 1 trial registered as The Lancashire Chase (6th race/16.00pm/200,000 pounds/5143m) gathers five horses at the start.

Leading the small field is last year`s highly superior winner by 22 lengths, A Plus Tard (Rachael Blackmore). In his last successful appearance in the Cheltenham Gold Cup (Group 1), the eight-year-old also triumphed by a `while` margin over Protektorat (Harry Skelton), who later ran in the Bowl Chase (Group 1) and finished fourth well behind the best placed. In that fixture Bristol De Mai, (Daryl Jacob), the 2020 winner, did not get over the jumps without an accident but performed very well before that on this course when second in a Handicap Chase. Eldorado Allen (Brendan Powell) did well to finish second in the Charlie Hall Chase (Group 2) and Frodon (Bryony Frost) also impressed as an easy winner in preparation at Wincanton.