Fabulous Frost and Frodon defy huge weight to enter Gold Cup picture

A week on from Hollie Doyle's Champions Day heroics, Bryony Frost lit up Cheltenham with a dynamic display on Frodon to enter the reckoning for the Gold Cup.

The ground-breaking jump jockey had made history when landing the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase on her willing partner at the Cheltenham Festival in 2019.

That type of performance earned him topweight of 11st 12lb on his return to the course in the 3m1f Matchbook Betting Exchange Handicap Chase on Saturday, conceding 17lb or more to each of his rivals and racing off a lofty BHA mark of 164.

Watch Frodon come out on top once again

Yet that was not enough to stop him. Frodon galloped his rivals into the ground and passed the post a length and a half ahead of Western Approach.

The first two were 14 lengths clear of the third, with the rest soundly beaten after an effort that delighted Paul Nicholls.

"That was probably a career best," the trainer said. "I'd say that's nearly a performance to put him in the Gold Cup picture."

Frodon, who took his career earnings past £800,000, is quoted at 16-1 for the Gold Cup by Ladbrokes.

Frost's delight at partnering Frodon to another highlight was evident, and she told ITV Racing: ""Weight stops trains and that was about the only thing that was going to stop us today. The rest of the field knew that the way to beat me was to keep pushing me forward and try and maximise my stamina over three miles one and for the weight to tell. But his class pushed that worry to the side. The jumps he did out there were unbelievable.

"He knows every fence and blade of grass out there. He's perfect and to be back with him and back at Cheltenham is a perfect dream."

When asked about Frodon's chances of being a Gold Cup contender, Frost added: "You can't ignore it and it will be one of his plans. We'll see where we go."

Read more

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Hollie Doyle lands first two at Ascot and maiden Group 1 in Champions Sprint

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