King Of Answers
King Of Answers did well to stay on as well as he did to take second place behind Holloway Queen in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham on Tuesday. Slowly away and squeezed out of it at the start, he was 16th of the 17 runners jumping the first fence, and that wasn't ideal on a day on which, and in a race in which, the pace held up well. Still only fourth last with a circuit to run, he made ground through his field as they raced down the back straight, moved into fifth on the run down the hill and jumped into third over the second last. In the end, he couldn't catch Holloway Queen, who had been prominent from early, but he finished a clear second, going fastest of all through the final four furlongs.
This was another step forward by Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore's horse. A winner at Kelso in December, he went back there in February and won again, on heavy ground in first-time cheekpieces. But, cheekpieces retained here, he proved that he could operate on better ground too. A 3lb hike is not harsh, he is only seven and he has raced just five times now over fences, so he has lots of scope for progression as a staying chaser. He will be of interest in another staying handicap chase now. The Scottish Grand National, going left handed on goodish ground and stepped up in trip, could be a good race for him now, a race that Lucinda Russell won with Mighty Thunder in 2021.
Cheltenham, 10th March 2026
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