Flying Frost looking to build on Nicholls success aboard in-form Black Corton

Successful in the Foxhunter on Pacha Du Polder in March, Bryony Frost gets the opportunity to showcase her talents as a conditional rider at Cheltenham aboard Black Corton in the Ryman Stationery-sponsored 3m novice chase (3.45), worth £25,000.

Frost has steered Black Corton to victory on his last three starts, most notably at Newton Abbot this month when beating reopposing Sizing Tennessee by three and a quarter lengths in a five-runner intermediate chase that also included Grade 1 winner Flying Angel and Grade 2 scorer and stablemate Frodon.

Frost said: “Black Corton has been very good to me and won well at Newton Abbot, he’s in good spirits and the good ground will suit. It’s another fantastic opportunity and I owe everything to my family, Paul [Nicholls] and his team – I wouldn’t be anywhere without them.”

Black Corton's chief danger could be Fagan, who ran his best race on his only previous visit to Cheltenham when a fast-finishing second to Unowhatimeanharry in the Albert Bartlett last year.

The Gordon Elliott-trained raider opened his chasing account with an emphatic victory at Perth in July, in which Beat That – who also runs here – fell, and has since finished a length second to Ballyandy at the same track last month.

Elliott said: "He's won over the trip and ran well when second last time. The good ground is in his favour."

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