Chapel Stile
Chapel Stile ran an encouraging race to finish third behind Two For Gold in the two-and-a-half-mile Gordon Richards Chase. Held up out the back of the field early on, and wide, it looked like he was struggling to keep up with the early pace. Last of the 10 runners as they passed the winning post first time, Nicky Richards' horse was being niggled along by Ryan Day as they set off on their final circuit. He came back travelling well as they raced down the back straight, but he was still fairly wide, and he had to be ridden along again after he made a mistake at the open ditch. He continued to stay on from there and, while it never looked like he was going to get to the winner when he kicked for home, he kept on well enough to take third place, beaten a total of just three lengths, in a race that was run in a good time, over six seconds faster than the time that Lostintranslation clocked in winning the Colin Parker Chase over the same course and distance later on the day.
This was a nice performance form Nicky Richards' horse on his chasing debut, and his first run since April 2018. It looked like just a starting point back for him too, he was weak in the market, racing over a distance that looked inadequate. He was a progressive staying hurdler in 2017/18, winning his last three hurdles, all over around three miles, and rising from a handicap rating of 105 to a rating of 127, and that mark should be well within his compass now over fences. He should improve again for this experience, and he will be of interest now in a staying handicap chase or a staying novices' handicap chase.
Carlisle, 3rd November 2019
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