Frodon digs deep under Bryony Frost to claim Cotswold crown at Cheltenham

Watch how the game front-runner made all to book his place in the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The days when Paul Nicholls had two titans of the sport to go to war with in the Cheltenham Gold Cup have passed but the serial champion trainer again looks like having two live contenders for chasing’s blue riband.

Frodon and Clan Des Obeaux will do well to achieve a fraction of what Kauto Star or Denman managed but the new kids on the block at Ditcheat have become emerging forces and they will certainly not be making up the numbers on March 15.

Both will have a stamina question to answer but Frodon, who gives the impression he could jump around the Cotswold course with a blindfold on, went a long way towards proving his when making all under Bryony Frost in the BetBright Trial Cotswold Chase.

For a brief moment it looked like Elegant Escape, the Welsh Grand National winner, might claw the bold-jumping front-runner in the closing stages – and in the process become the first favourite to win the race for 20 years - but Frodon was not for passing and pulled out a bit more to prevail by three quarters of a length.

Bookmakers were refreshingly divided in the aftermath. Betfair are content to offer Frodon at 33-1 for the Gold Cup, but he is as short as 12-1 elsewhere.

Frost was bubblier than ever afterwards – so you can imagine her scale of excitement – but Nicholls was more measured and suggested the now four-time curse winner, already a stone higher in the ratings than when winning on this day a year ago, might still have more improvement in him.

“He just keeps getting better and better,” Nicholls said. “I was kicking myself in the paddock beforehand thinking I had been a bit easy on him as I’d given him the month off after his last run.

“He looked big beforehand, so hopefully there is more improvement to come. Byrony thought he blew up a bit after the last and he idled up the hill.”

Frodon was untested over so far but he relishes putting his rivals to the sword from the front and there was never any question of reverting to dropping him in and trying to conserve his energy.

“There was no point riding him any different today as he either stays or he doesn’t,” Nicholls reasoned. “I always thought he would stay the trip as I felt, over further, he wouldn’t have to go flat out, and he could use his jumping to dominate from the front which he did.

“In a year that is quite open, I'm definitely dead keen to go [for the Gold Cup]. A horse rated 169 was second in it last year and he probably ran to a higher rating that that today. I still think we can improve him from today until Cheltenham as well.”

Frost added: "You can see how brave and awesome he is. He is the most amazing person and when I call upon on him, he answers every time.”

Nicholls has another ace up his sleeve in Clan Des Obeaux, fluent winner of the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day. A top-priced 10-1 with Betfair and Unibet, he will complete his preparation in the Denman Chase at Newbury in a fortnight.

“Clan Des Obeaux is improving rapidly and was obviously very good at Kempton,” Nicholls said. “Frodon loves Cheltenham which is a massive plus and I don’t think there is too much between them.

“Clan Des Obeaux worked great this morning and the plan is to still go to Newbury for the Denman Chase. I did have a chat with Paul Barber [his owner] about entering him in the Cotswold Chase but he still looks a bit heavy at the moment.

“He has enjoyed his break since the King George and it is amazing how these good horses put a bit of weight on after a small break.

“We’ve got two weeks to get him where we want for Newbury, but we don’t want him to be at his best. I would like him to be in similar shape that he was in at Haydock, so he can improve before the Gold Cup. We used to do a similar thing with Kauto Star.”

Elegant Escape, getting 2lb from the winner, kept on well for second after being tapped for toe at various stages. He looks all over a Randox Health Grand National aspirant but will join his stablemates, Native River and Thistlecrack, in what could be a bulging Gold Cup field.

Most firms make him a 20-1 chance. You fancy ground conditions will dictate whether he starts at shorter or longer odds.

Colin Tizzard, his trainer, said: "That was pretty satisfying. To be critical, he looked like he was outpaced in the country, but then on a positive note he made up four or five lengths after the last on Frodon.

"At the end of the day it was a lovely Gold Cup trial. He has got a bit to find but I'm sure if the ground comes up a bit softer he will keep on galloping better than the others and the extra furlong will help him.

"He won't go anywhere else now, but he will have an entry in the Grand National as well."

Nicky Henderson was similarly pleased with the performance of the third home Terrefort, who was making his first appearance since a disappointing display on his seasonal reappearance at Sandown in November when he returned home injured.

Terrefort‘s ungainly tail carriage suggests he may be something of a thinker, like his half-brother Vino Griego before him, but he did little wrong in the finish, albeit looking as if a drop in trip for the Ryanair Chase would not inconvenience him.

The grey is 25-1 for the Ryanair, and a general 33-1 for the Gold Cup.

Nicky Henderson said: "Terrefort ran a super race. To be fair to him, that was like his first run of the season, because Aintree (last April) was his last proper run. "I thought he was going to get there, then at two out he just blew up - which I half expected. I don't think he will have another run between now and Cheltenham, but I don't know which race he will go for there yet."

Allyson Monterg belied odds of 40-1 by running well for a long way in first-time cheekpieces and will be one to look out for back in handicap company but Minella Rocco, runner-up, in the 2017 Gold Cup, ran lamentably on his first start for almost a year. Valtor was pulled up after making the odd error and hanging right. It will be a big surprise if he ends Henderson’s elusive hunt for a Grand National winner.