Gino Trail made the most of having his sights lowered when galloping his rivals into submission at Wetherby.
Kerry Lee’s charge kicked off his campaign by finishing a distant third in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter three weeks ago and had less on his plate in bidding to give weight to just three rivals in the Bet At racinguk.com Handicap Chase.
The 11-10 favourite, who was sent early to post, jumped accurately in the hands of Jamie Moore, barring a mistake two fences from the finish.
It was not enough to stop his momentum, however, and he safely negotiated the final obstacle to seal a seven-length success over Pain Au Chocolat.
Lee told Racing UK: “That was super. Jamie gets on with this horse so well and gave him a lovely ride.
“He does jump very well and loves this ground. He’s back in his grade as well, which helps.
“It’s a military operation to get him to post. Last season he won at Ludlow and actually ran a circuit of the track before the race.
“We’re very careful with him now and he wears earplugs to go to post, which are very helpful to the job.
“I’ll have to look very carefully and see what the handicapper does before I make any more plans.”
