Caid Du Berlais repeats hunter chase romp

Caid Du Berlais repeated last year’s win in the Star Best For Racing Coverage Champion Hunters Chase when recording in equally emphatic fashion under Will Biddick.

The Loxton-trained gelding won by 21 lengths last year, and extended the winning margin to 28 lengths this time as he dominated matters from the front.

The Rose Loxton-trained gelding has been very lightly-raced over the past 12 months and put a disappointing effort at the Cheltenham Festival this March well behind him.

The well-backed 3/1 chance pulled his way to the front after the early exchanges and built up a clear lead by halfway.

The ten-year-old kept up a relentless gallop in the straight, with Burning Ambition taking the runner-up spot and Fenno’s Storm in third. Stand Up And Fight was on the back foot after a blunder before halfway, and the 7/4 favourite was eventually pulled up before the final fence.

Biddick said, “It wasn't the plan to be in front from so early on but he's in serious order and he was just tanking. It would have been wrong to be choking his head off and I just had to let him go and get in a rhythm. He's done it well. I'm surprised they let me off so much.

“Rose hasn't been so well lately so this is for her.

"His prep run was a point-to-point just before Cheltenham and then he went there and we were a bit surprised how disappointing he ran.

“He might have gone to Liverpool but he just didn't feel quite right the week before. We said we'd save him and because he liked it here last year we'd come back.”