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'His perfectly judged ride meant he had enough left in reserve to hold on'

Ex-jockey gives his expert verdict on the key tactics and big incidents

Bryony Frost celebrates her Down Royal success on Frodon
Bryony Frost celebrates her Down Royal success on FrodonCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Double Grand National-winning jockey Leighton Aspell analyses a thrilling race for the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal and hails a finely judged ride.


What a race we were treated to, with five previous Cheltenham Festival winners, including last year's Gold Cup winner in Minella Indo.

It represented a brilliantly executed plan by Paul Nicholls – not the first time he has done it at Down Royal – as he had Frodon in excellent shape for his first run of the season and capitalised on the possibility that the Irish horses would not be fully wound up at this early stage of the season.

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