The Philippines remains committed to deploying troops in UN peacekeeping hotspots despite the brief hostage-taking of 21 of its soldiers, military officials have said.

Nobody saw much of it, not least his 19 rivals, but Chauvinist was a clear-cut winner of the £100,000 (€156,000) Ladbroke Hurdle at a fog-bound Ascot today.

TIKRAM, 25-1 for the Ladbroke Hurdle with the sponsors on Monday, is now as low as 12-1 in two places after the flow of support for Gary Moore’s hurdler continued yesterday.

Tyndarius is unlikely to take up his engagement in the Martell Grand National but he could still have a part to play over the big Aintree fences in April.