Penhill posts modest figure in Stayers' but Mullins ace remains open to progress

The two feature races of the third day were run in very contrasting fashion. Only six faced the starter for the Ryanair Chase, but a solid gallop resulted in the impressive Balko Des Flos (173+) clocking a time nearly five seconds quicker than that recorded by Plate winner The Storyteller (158) over the same trip later on the card.

Conversely, 15 lined up for the Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle, in which a pedestrian pace led to a relatively bunched finish and a winning time over ten seconds slower than that posted by Delta Work (146) in the earlier Pertemps Final.

Rated in the high 150s when landing last year's Albert Bartlett, Penhill recorded a relatively modest winning mark of 162+ but, with only around eight lengths covering the first eight home, this year's Stayers' Hurdle was not a race that lent itself to producing a big winning figure.