Worthy winner Native River well up to the Gold standard

With the ground in his favour the 2016 Welsh Grand National winner Native River (RPR 178) made all to prove a worthy winner of a memorable Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Only third in a relatively steadily run good-ground edition of the race last year, this was a much more severe test of stamina, with Richard Johnson intent on running the finish out of chief rival Might Bite (174).

Closely matched on the figures going into the race, the pair dominated throughout and it was only after the last that the challenge of the gallant Might Bite was beaten off.