Rubaud helps Cobden close the gap on Skelton 

A win in the Pendil Novices’ Chase – a staggering 14th in the race for trainer Paul Nicholls – provided Harry Cobden with 10 points and the edge on Harry Skelton (who rode the runner-up Boombawn) on the day. 

Cobden also picked up four points from the fourth-placed finish of Sauvignon behind Mambonumberfive in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle which allowed winning jockey Ben Jones to close the gap on the leaders, though he couldn’t make up any ground on the jockey immediately above him on the standings as Charlie Deutsch enjoyed an armchair ride on Katate Dori in the Ladbrokes Trophy just over an hour later. 

Jonathan Burke was the other winning jockey at Kempton, guiding Tripoli Flyer to a ready success in the Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle, while over at Newcastle the sole ITV race – the Eider Handicap Chase – went the way of Freddie Mitchell who won easily on the lightly-weighted Knockanore. 

Mitchell was one of three conditional riders who picked up points on the day, and there are now only 12 points separating Dylan Johnston (70), Caolin Quinn (70) and Mitchell (62) in the quest to be the leading conditional rider and pick up the £20,000 prize.