There was a shock in the Ladbrokes Desert Orchid Chase as Gary Moore’s Editeur Du Gite made every yard in the hands of Niall Houlihan to record a scintillating victory at Kempton.
The race was billed as a clash between Arkle and Tingle Creek hero Edwardstone and 2020 champion Nube Negra and the main protagonists were content to sit in rear as Editeur Du Gite bowled along in front during the early exchanges.
However, the complexion of the race changed at the fifth fence when Edwardstone made a bad blunder at the open ditch and parted company with big-race pilot Tom Cannon.
Harry Skelton crept his way into contention aboard Nube Negra rounding the home bend, but was soon sending out the distress signals on the 4-1 second favourite and had to settle for the silver medal as Houlihan kept the revs up aboard Editeur Du Gite and jumped his rivals into submission up the home straight.
A return to aggressive tactics paid off for the 28-1 scorer and the victory comes nine years after Sire De Grugy lit up Kempton in the colours of winning part-owners the Preston Family. The eight-year-old has now been introduced at 33-1 by both Paddy Power and Betfair to follow in the footsteps of the Moore-trained Sire De Grugy, winner of the 2014 Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
"I said to Niall 'just ride him to be third' as I had no other expectations," said the winning trainer.
"He is not at his best right-handed and the ground is probably a bit softer than he would have liked it so they tell me. He has just proved everything wrong today.
"They are a great bunch of owners. The saddest thing is that Trevor (Jacobs, part owner) has been in hospital for six months now but he is gradually getting better. He is a great man, it is just a shame that he is not here. What this horse has done for all of them (is great). They are the luckiest bunch of owners, they had Sire De Grugy then this horse.
"He is no Sire De Grugy but he isn't far behind him. It is great and good for the yard as they have worked hard over Christmas – it is well deserved."
On future plans, Moore added: "There (Cheltenham) and Aintree (are where his best performances have been) and he will now have to go for the Game Spirit.
"He will have to have a Champion Chase entry as handicaps are definitely out of the question. His work at home has been very good, you could gallop him with any two-mile hurdler and he will gallop with them, if not better. It is a massive surprise but you need to have surprises like this.
"The only thing is Josh (Moore) isn't riding – that is the only thing missing – but fair play to Niall he has done well on the horse and it is great for him. They get on well together every time he has ridden him."
Runner-up Nube Negra will now be freshened up for another tilt at the Champion Chase in March, with Dan Skelton believing the tacky nature of the Sunbury track took its toll on his good-ground loving eight-year-old.
He said: "The ground was tacky today but fair play to the winner, he's set really hard fractions in really tacky ground and made it really hard work for everybody.
"Our horse has had to give him 6lb, but on the ground it's just made it very hard for us. Take nothing away from the winner though, we'll freshen him up now and go for the Champion Chase and fingers crossed we get some really nice ground."
Newbury's Game Spirit Chase is also on the cards for Edwardstone, with Alan King reporting both horse and rider to be fine following their early exit.
"They're both fine," said the Barbury Castle handler. "I'd have to watch it again, normally him and Tom do everything right, normally they sort it between them and today they didn't. Nobody has died, he's fine and he enjoyed himself when loose afterwards.
"I've been at it long enough to know that as long as they're OK, there's always another day. We're gutted of course but I've been in worse places. I'd imagine we'll stick to the original plan and look at the Game Spirit at Newbury. It's a shame but it happens – for once they didn't quite get it right today."
