Chidswell

Chidswell did well to stay on as well as he did to finish third in the Sky Bet Chase. He made a couple of mistakes on the run up the home straight first time, which saw him drift back in the field and give up a nice prominent position. He was well back in the field when they straightened up for home but he was starting to stay on when he made a shuddering error at the second last fence. That really should have halted his challenge, but he recovered his equilibrium and he stayed on well over the last and up the run-in to get the better of Ravenhill Road for third, albeit a fairly remote third behind Ok Corral and Fingerontheswitch.

Chidswell is 11 now, and this was his 21st race over fences, he is not an unexposed improver, but he shaped well at Kelso last month on his debut this season, and this was another step forward. He is obviously in the form of his life and, with a clear round here, he would have been much closer to the front two than he was. He goes well at Kelso and at Doncaster, and he stays further than this bare three miles. He won the Grimthorpe Chase at Doncaster last year over three and a quarter miles, and that would be a sensible target for him again this year.

Doncaster, 25^th January 2020

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