Victory Gunner is to race on as a 17-year-old

Veteran chaser Victory Gunner is to race on after escaping injury in an accident at Ffos Las last week.

The 17-year-old veteran was carried out at the final fence of a three-mile handicap chase at the Welsh venue when in with a sporting chance of gaining his 15th career success from 82 starts.

However, he was taken out of the race by rival Magical Man, the pair crashing through the wing of the obstacle, leaving Dixie Bull to win unchallenged.

"Like the best of us, he's a little surprised as to what happened, but he's absolutely fine," said Herefordshire trainer Richard Lee.

"He came back and ate up that night, but thank goodness for plastic wings these days. Forty or 50 years ago with the old wooden wings we'd have been in trouble.

"It was one of those things that happens in steeplechase racing and you have to put up with it.

"Thankfully all is well and it's onwards and upwards.

"We've nothing for him at the moment. There is a race at Lingfield in three or four weeks, so he may go there, but there's nothing for him at Ffos Las or Chepstow, which is a little disappointing."

Should he emerge victorious in a race again, Victory Gunner would be the oldest horse to win over fences in Britain since Sonny Somers. He was 18 when he triumphed in three-mile handicaps at Southwell and Lingfield in February 1980.