Beltor defies long absence to bounces back with narrow victory
Former JCB Triumph Hurdle hope Beltor rebounded from over 600 days off the track to land the 2m½f handicap hurdle and exemplify the training skills of Chepstow-based Robert Stephens.
And the seven-year-old did not go off unsupported as he was backed late into 5-1 before getting the better of a protracted duel with Gwalia from the final hurdle to win by three-quarters of a length in the hands of Tom O'Brien.
A delighted Stephens said: “He finished sixth behind Peace And Co in the 2015 Triumph Hurdle but is a rather fragile horse and later sustained a chipped bone in a knee followed by a tendon problem which explains his long lay-off, but I was hopeful we had him straight enough for this comeback.
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