Sandown a great test for a novice chaser - and Gerri Colombe passed with flying colours

The 2m4f start at Sandown can be a daunting proposition for a novice chaser as they immediately face the challenge of the Railway fences.

Wisely, all five riders in Saturday's Grade 1 Virgin Bet Scilly Isles Novices' Chase gave themselves some space leaving the tape to get a good view of the line of three fences.

There are 14 or 15 strides between fence one and fence two before a shorter ten or 11 strides between fences two and three. How you jump these three early fences will determine your early position in the race.