racing_news/

Carlito Brigante Scrapes Home at Cheltenham
19/10/12

1 Carlito Brigante 5/1
2 Domtaline 4/1
3 King Of The Night 5/1
NR: Battleoftrafalgar
7 ran Distances: shd, 5l, 2½l
TIME 5m 3.17s (slow by 15.17s)

Gordon Elliott's Carlito Brigante was a narrow victor of an eventful squareintheair.com Novices' Chase at Cheltenham.

Carlito Brigante
© Racehorse Photos

The 2011 Coral Cup winner had got his chasing career started early, winning twice at Killarney in early summer, but luck was on his side here with both long-time leader Go All The Way and Kingsmere coming down at the second-last.

This left Domtaline as the one to beat but Carlito Brigante (5-1) and Davy Russell wore him down on the run-in and finished a short-head in front, surviving a stewards' inquiry.

"He seems to like Cheltenham and he has to have good ground, so I expect he'll come back here next month," Elliott said.

"He's been a good horse to have around. We moved to a new yard a month ago, just 10 minutes away from the old one outside Trim, and we've had 10 or 11 winners already."

Russell said: "He's useful but he's at a level, he's definitely not a Grade One horse so whether he can compete in Grade Twos and Three that may stretch but he is an improver and he jumps fences well."

squareintheair.com Novices' Chase
£17,000 added, 4yo plus, 2m 4f, Class 2
7 ran
Going: Good to Soft (Good in places)