Novice chase changes can't come soon enough as Alcala wins match

The latest initiatives to attract more runners to novice chases were not announced in time to spare the £10,000 event here, which was reduced to a mismatch.

Only three were declared for the 3m2f contest and when Knight Of Noir came out it left Alcala – after surviving a scare five out – to beat Quick N' Easy by 40 lengths at odds of 1-25. The new rules come into force on October 1.

Alcala was scoring for the fifth time in his last six runs and trainer Paul Nicholls may not have finished with him yet.