Classy Cyrname has the game to win King George at Kempton

Cyrname can wear Kempton crown in Boxing Day feature

Lostintranslation is likely to head to Kempton next as he seeks to land the £1-million bonus put up by the Jockey Club for winning the Betfair Chase, King George and Gold Cup, but he could have his hands full on Boxing Day if Cyrname proves as effective over that longer trip as when inflicting a first defeat over obstacles on Altior in Saturday’s 1965 Chase.

Cyrname was undoubtedly seen to best effect in the conditions at Ascot – racing over the same C&D as when also blowing the opposition away on his final two starts of the 2018/19 campaign – but it was impossible not to be impressed by the way he did the job, jumping superbly in front and at no stage looking likely to be pegged back by his outstanding rival.

His style of racing ought to be ideally suited to the demands of the King George, and he shouldn’t have any trouble staying the extra three furlongs, unless conditions are very testing.

He looks the one to beat at Kempton.

Last season’s JLT form just keeps on delivering

Last season’s novice chasers were considered by many to be a vintage crop, but some doubts had started to emerge of late after lack-lustre efforts from the likes of Delta Work and Santini.

However, last season’s winner Defi du Seuil allayed some of those doubts when recently making a sparkling return in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham, though, while his old sparring partner Lostintranslation is now the 9/2 favourite for the Gold Cup with Paddy Power, having created a huge impression in winning Saturday’s Betfair Chase at Haydock, passing his first test in open Grade 1 company with flying colours.

That JLT contest has proven to be an exceptionally strong piece of novice form – Vinndication (fifth), Real Steel (sixth) and Capeland (eighth) have also won valuable prizes at this relatively early stage of the new campaign – and runner-up Lostintranslation has the look of one who can up his game even further in the weeks to come, still relatively unexposed as a stayer after all.

Sue Smith has reason to smile again

On Saturday it was exactly six months since Sue Smith had last trained a winner under rules, a wait that was extended in agonising fashion at Haydock that afternoon, with Midnight Shadow just losing out after looking the likeliest winner of the graduation chase for most of the journey.

However, Smith didn’t have much longer to wait for a belated success, and, as the old saying goes about buses, two quickly came along at once as she saddled a welcome double at Uttoxeter. The yard has generally been operating much closer to its usual level in recent weeks and it would be no surprise if the team kicked on from here, with plenty of entries to look out for in the coming days.