Black beauty for Nicholls and Frost in feature chase

After a couple of setbacks earlier on the card, the smile was back on Paul Nicholls’ face after Black Corton recorded his fourth success over fences when taking the feature 2m5f intermediate chase.

The six-year-old has struck up a winning partnership with conditional rider Bryony Frost and the pair were always well placed before hitting the front down the far side and staying on with plenty of gusto to hold off the persistent attentions of Sizing Tennessee.

Nicholls said: “I know it’s a bit of a cliche but we were thinking in terms of this being Black Corton’s Gold Cup but, after the way he has dug deep to win, there might be more to come from him this autumn and Bryony has now won three times on him.