Review of the racing from Ascot: Yala Enki wins for Venetia Williams

News of the rest of the action from Ascot where Yala Enki produced a game front-running performance in the opener.

Yala Enki demonstrated the best of his battling abilities with a tenacious victory from the front in the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at Ascot.

Dropped back into novice company having finished third in a Grade Three handicap at Sandown last time out, the 7-4 favourite bravely held at bay his four rivals to register a third win of the campaign.

Although Mr Mix looked set to pass the long-time leader having joined him at the penultimate flight, this year's Lanzarote Hurdle winner pulled out enough up the run in to post a three-quarter-length success.

Following the race, Yala Enki was shortened into 20-1 from 33-1 for the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival.

Winning trainer Venetia Williams said: "I think they were all queuing up to have a go and pass this one.

"He is a superb jumper and I am thrilled to bits with him. He is in the two novice races at Cheltenham (Albert Bartlett and Neptune).

"He won't run before then, but whether he runs there depends on the ground. He probably wants further than that as that is the shortest distance he has run over all season, but we have to take the opportunities when they come."

A trip north of the border could now lie in store for Sausalito Sunrise following his easy success in the Appletiser 50 Year Celebration Chase.

The eight-year-old made light work of top weight to ground out victory in the three-mile prize and go one better than on his previous start.

Approaching the second-last fence any one of Sausalito Sunrise, Vieux Lion Rouge, Bally Beaufort and long-time leader Waldorf Salad could have been called the winner with little to separate the quartet.

But that picture changed as the Philip Hobbs-trained 3/1 shot quickly motored into a decisive advantage between the final two fences.

Clearing the last in good fashion Sausalito Sunrise forged on to claim victory by 12 lengths from Vieux Lion Rouge.

Hobbs said: "We felt that he just lacks a little bit of confidence more than anything else. He is probably still a bit green but he is heading in the right direction.

"Cheltenham could be an option though for a long time the Scottish National has been his main aim, but he would not be going there if it was quick ground.

"He is a very big horse and we don't want to run him on quick ground. He just wants decent ground."

While a venture north of the border could be on the cards for Sausalito Sunrise, a trip to Ireland later in the year may be on the horizon for Tearsofclewbay (5-1) after completing Hobbs' brace with a three-and-a-quarter-length win in the Neptune Investment Management Mares' Standard National Hunt Flat Race.

He said: "She did it very well and obviously that's a big step up from her first win. There is the race at Aintree, but she might be a horse better on softer ground.

"Mr Walsh, the owner, is Irish so we might be thinking about Punchestown and working backwards from there."

Different Gravey showed he was ready to fire on his first start in 309 days with a decisive victory in the Les Ambassadeurs Casino Handicap Hurdle.

Although not sighted since winning at Ayr last April the six-year-old returned with a bang in the extended two-mile-three-furlong prize to hand trainer Nicky Henderson a double on the card.

Racing in the main body of the field the 5-1 shot picked off early trailblazer Sirop De Menthe with ease over the second last before bounding away to victory by 16-lengths from the lightly-weighted Fingertips.

Following the race Ladbrokes introduced the winner at 8-1 for the Ryanair World Hurdle.

Henderson said: "He was meant to go chasing. That has flummoxed me a bit as it has landed me in no man's land except to looking forward to going novice chasing next season.

"We would have to think about the World Hurdle. He won well at Ayr then an hour later we got a call from the stables saying he was seriously lame and he stayed in Edinburgh for a couple of weeks.

"We eventually got him home. He has come in late and started late. He has schooled late but he has been brilliant over fences but it is too late to switch now."

Mattie Batchelor steered the Jamie Poulton-trained Bangkok Pete (12-1) to glory in the Two Weeks Until Racing UK HD Handicap Hurdle.