Nocte Volatus justified strong market support to land the £100,000 Unibet Veterans' Handicap Chase Final at Sandown Park, as the meeting survived a morning frost inspection while several other cards fell victim to the cold snap.
The 11-year-old, trained by Tom Lacey, was backed from 11-2 into 11-4 favourite on Saturday morning and delivered a length-and-a-quarter victory under Stan Sheppard. Le Milos, trained by championship leader Dan Skelton, finished second, with Gabbys Cross third.
Lacey, winning the contest for the first time, said: “It’s brilliant to win a nice pot like that with an improving 11-year-old. It’s nice to show that, given the ammunition, a smaller yard can compete on the big stage.” Sheppard added: “He’s fairly on the edge with his jumping – he’s got his own way of doing it – so you just have to hold on tight.”
Elsewhere, Newcastle and Wincanton lost their fixtures due to frost, with the latter undergoing three inspections before being abandoned. Southwell was added to the calendar by the BHA for Sunday, the only remaining card after Naas, Chepstow and Plumpton were called off in advance.
The BHA acknowledged the added fixture may inconvenience participants but said the risk of a blank day justified the move. Inspections have been called for Monday’s meetings at Lingfield and Ludlow, while Tuesday’s card at Musselburgh has been cancelled.
