Djelo goes the distance with Denman victory

Djelo scrapped to a tough success in the William Hill Bet10 Get10 On Racing Denman Chase at Newbury.

Venetia Williams’ bay was the 6-4 favourite under Charlie Deutsch in a field of seven for the Grade Two event run over a trip just shy of three miles.

The gelding thrived on the soft going and clearly also enjoyed the extended distance on his first attempt, settled in the early stages by Deutsch before assuming control of the race with two fences to jump.

Djelo got a bit close to the final obstacle but ultimately had plenty in hand and came home three and a half lengths clear of Hitman, who was finishing second in the race for a third successive year.

His Paul Nicholls-trained stablemate Bravemansgame kept on for third, beaten a further six and a half lengths.

Djelo was cut to 12-1 from 20s by Paddy Power for the Ryanair Chase at next month’s Cheltenham Festival, with Williams favouring the extended two-and-a-half-mile option over his other entry in the two-mile Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Williams said: “A week ago we were running in the Game Spirit and it was only 15 minutes before entries closed that I took a look what was in the Denman and thought ‘we need to be in there as well’.

“We’ve got him in the Ryanair and we’ve got him in the Champion Chase but not the Gold Cup and there are no regrets about that at all. I would say he would go to the Ryanair now. He’s a King George horse for next season. He’s got better with maturity and it will be straight to Cheltenham now.

“He’s quite a headstrong horse and you have to be forgiving and I think an element of Windsor was not so much him but Protektorat, because he was brilliant.

“Protektorat was ridden with enormous restraint when we beat him at Huntingdon in the Peterborough Chase and we got well away from him, but the same thing happened the other way round at Windsor, the boot was on the other foot.

“We were scratching our heads over tactics and Peter (Davies, owner) and I left it down to Charlie to make up his mind down at the start.

“We didn’t want him being too keen, so he dropped him right out and he settled beautifully, almost to the point that when they turned for home I was wondering when Charlie was going to set him alight. When he did the turbo came in very quickly.

“We can’t do it without the generous owners and their support and I think that is a milestone for both of us. It’s taken us past £1million for the season and we think it has put Peter into second in the owners table.”

Paul Nicholls was pleased with the performances of both Hitman and Bravemansgame, with both now set to head straight to Aintree for the Randox Grand National.

Nicholls said: “They’ve both run nice races and will both head to the National now.

“Harry (Cobden) said Bravemansgame keeps a bit to himself and he’s come in here as fresh as paint. He’s had so many hard races over the years and they sometimes just look after themselves a little bit, but the horse has gone round there with his ears pricked loving it.

“They sprinted a bit from two out and the younger legs won the day, but they have both run really nice races. They are both 10, have both been amazing horses and will now both take their chance in the National and I dare say they would love it.

“They both jump well and travel and whether they stay the trip, they’ll have to have a good day the pair of them. But what they will do is jump and travel really well.

“The great thing is Bravemansgame will keep running for another year or two because he looks after himself. He’s gone round there today loving it and he might not quite be as good as he was, but he’s been an amazing horse.

“I think they will both love it round Aintree and I think the one of ours who might be a true unexposed stayer is Kandoo Kid, he’s been round there before and he might run at Kempton two weeks today.”