Invictus books Cheltenham ticket with Ascot G2 success

Flemensfirth’s son Invictus (6g Flemensfirth-Clashwilliamgirl, by Seymour Hicks) looks a leading contender for Cheltenham’s G1 RSA Chase after an impressive victory at Ascot on Saturday. Alan King’s charge, who was a hugely impressive winner on his first two starts over fences, had finished only third when losing a shoe on his previous outing but was right back to his best to see off the high-class Bobs Worth to win the G2 Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase. "That was much better," King told Press Association Sport. "He lost a shoe early on at Cheltenham and maybe that affected him. That was more like it today and he liked the decent ground. "He looked a real prospect when he won at Plumpton then Cheltenham was slightly disappointing but we had excuses for that, I'm sure it (the lost shoe) didn't help and he never seemed very happy. He goes on soft ground, but he appreciates better. "(Stablemate) Walkon is going to have to step up in trip and I don't think this fellow wants to be going back, so they both might end up in the G1 RSA Chase (at the Cheltenham Festival)." Invictus, who is owned by Richard and Lizzie Kelvin Hughes, was bred by J O’Connell and was sold for £162,000 at Cheltenham in April 2010 after winning a point-to-point.