Don Cossack flawless on his return to action
The striking and imposing eight-year-old was deemed only 85 percent fit by trainer Gordon Elliott, but it proved more than adequate for the highest-rated chaser in these isles as he set out on a path which connections hope will lead all the way to the Cheltenham Gold Cup, in March.
Quietly ridden early and exemplary over his fences, he was clever when needed, but more often precise as he travelled to the front in the straight. Bryan Cooper didn’t have to ask a single question of his mount as he stretched away to beat stable companion Roi Du Mee, to give Elliott a fifth consecutive win in the race.
