'We must be everybody's nemesis!' - Jeremy Scott's star Golden Ace springs another huge upset in a dramatic Fighting Fifth

Kipling would have approved. If you can keep your footing when all about you are losing theirs, yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it – or at least two Grade 1 hurdles.

The once-in-a-lifetime chapter of accidents that presented Golden Ace with the Champion Hurdle in March happened again eight months later. Thank heavens she was present to take advantage.

Trainer Jeremy Scott had been reluctant to travel up from Somerset for the Fighting Fifth Hurdle with a mare who had been beaten 28 lengths in a match at Wetherby last month, wanting to give her more time to recover.

She had scoped dirty after what was a hugely disappointing effort, even given that her Cheltenham success came at 25-1 after Constitution Hill fell four out and State Man came down at the last when leading.

Of course, it could not happen again, and Golden Ace was a 22-1 chance in a field of only five this time.

Except that it did. Constitution Hill got no further than the second flight, crashing out and handing the lead to The New Lion, who was in front when he hit the deck two out.

That left Golden Ace with the advantage under Lorcan Williams and she held off Anzadam – ridden by Paul Townend in the State Man colours – by a length and a half.

"We must be everybody's bloody nemesis!" said Scott, who admitted he was a slightly unwilling visitor to Newcastle.

"I couldn't come up with a reason not to run," he said. "I didn't want to, I wanted to give her more time, but the trouble was it was either run here or wait until Kempton, and I thought this would suit her better.

"We said we'd run her here and if everything went well we'd probably go to the International, then to the Champion Hurdle; that's the plan. Thank God we got her back from Wetherby. I was scratching my head, I thought she was so well there."

For all the drama, Williams feels Golden Ace might still have got the better of The New Lion even had Harry Skelton's mount not fallen.

"We were lengthening as we came into the straight, I always felt that I had Harry a little bit covered," he said. "She doesn't do too much and I hadn't pressed all her buttons, and I felt once Paul joined us she was going to up the ante a little bit.

"You never know; they've got to stay on their feet. He might have beaten us at the end of the day, but I felt very comfortable."

A riderless Constitution Hill jumps a hurdle at Newcastle

The riderless Constitution Hill jumps a hurdleCredit: John Grossick Racing

Win or lose, Williams was delighted with the effort turned in by a dual Cheltenham Festival winner he has won on seven times and who was taking her prize-money haul past £500,000.

"She jumped very well, probably the most fluent she's ever been and very quick from A to B," he said. "She travelled great and I was very happy down the back.

"I was aware Harry upped it from jumping the last down the back, but I was happy enough after walking the course; it's a long way from home. Once we climbed that bit and turned in I used my fuel there to get back on the coat-tails of them.

"At Cheltenham, when Constitution Hill came down, he made such an impact on us that I felt I had to nurse her back into the race. Today she travelled with zest and jumped fantastically. I was very comfortable the whole way. Well done to the Jeremy Scott team to bring her back to what we know she can do."

The New Lion's trainer Dan Skelton saw the race differently from Williams. "I think he would have won," he said. "That's only an opinion and there's no point expressing it because we didn't stand up. It's just frustrating for that to happen on his first start of the season.

"They were going so fast. It's two-mile championship speed, he left a leg down, he touched the top of the hurdle and that brought him down. That's that."

He took solace from how well the Turners' Novices' Hurdle had coped with dropping to two miles and said: "We just have to learn. There was nothing wrong with everything else. I was happy with what I was seeing; he was picking up nicely. I have no concerns about the trip.

"But it's not ideal to be on the floor. We'll dust ourselves down, do plenty of jumping and he'll be back again; that's all you can do."

Some people may claim Golden Ace is lucky, but Constitution Hill is luckier - and his owner admits it's 'a nightmare'

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