Theatre surprises birthday boy Scudamore in National

Even trainer Michael Scudamore questioned the wisdom of running Kingswell Theatre in the feature 3m6½f handicap chase, but the eight-year-old allayed any fears with a workmanlike performance to get the better of Millicent Silver in a thrilling finish.

Scudamore explained: “We always thought he wanted soft ground as he's not the quickest and when I got here and saw conditions were drying out all the time, I thought I'd made a mistake in not declaring him for the Eider Chase at Newcastle instead.

“He looked like he was going the right way as a progressive staying chaser early last season, but then lost the plot and completely went off the boil. He became a very frustrating horse, but he'd dropped down the ratings and maybe some sun on his back and the better ground has seen him come right."