JPR One dominates in Scottish Champion Chase

Joe Tizzard’s JPR One announced himself in a new division with a comprehensive win the bet365 Scottish Champion Chase at Musselburgh.

The nine-year-old has been campaigned over trips around the two-mile mark throughout his career, with graded wins and placings over the distance, but on a first trip to Scotland he stepped up to the two-and-a-half-mile mark.

Under Brendan Powell he was allowed to hack along at the front and as the race progressed he proved the extra half a mile was well within his capabilities, staying on best of all to secure a two-and-three-quarter-length victory at odds of 4-1.

“I’m absolutely chuffed with that, he’s a horse that has to carry a lot of weight in handicaps but we’ve done it before and it’s worked a couple of times,” said Tizzard.

“He really had his day today, we came here for the ground and he loved stepping up in trip and he really showed his class.

“The best thing Brendan could have done was just let him go off in front, he was skipping along and he really enjoyed.

“It’s cracking prize money and he’s made it really worth the trip.”

JPR One could now have another crack at Grade One company at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Tizzard added: “He’s in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Ryanair, we won’t run him in the Queen Mother but I wouldn’t be against giving him a spin in the Ryanair – we’ll see what the handicapper does and go from there.”