It was a triumphant return for the 2022 Browns Advisory Novices' Chase winner, having been off the track for 391 days since unseating at the final fence in last season's King George VII Chase. Although the Venetia Williams-trained gelding could have been excused for a defeat after such a lengthy absence, the talented chaser matched race-fit Protektorat stride-for-stride in the closing stages and pulled away for a comfortable victory.

With connections keen to get another run into the nine-year-old, L'Homme Presse will target the Ascot Chase at the Berkshire track in four weeks.

"He's won at Ascot before, he won the graduation chase there, so we know he likes it there," said Andy Edwards, part-owner.

"It's a lovely, big galloping track and the fences take proper jumping and he's a good jumper.

"The timing is almost exactly four weeks to Ascot and then the same to the Gold Cup, so everything is right for him and that is where we would like to go really."

"When we discussed this with Venetia and the other owners Pat and Peter (Pink) and Pam (Edwards, wife), they are racehorses and they love their racing and are ready to race," added Edwards.

"If we had one or two runs before Christmas, we might be saying we will wait for the Gold Cup, but this was our first run of the season and a stepping stone, and Ascot will be another stepping stone to what is the greatest race of the season, the Gold Cup.

"There's nowhere to hide and you can't be ring-rusty when you go to the Gold Cup, you have to be spot on.

"Yes there's an element of taking your opportunities when they arise because as we found last year something small can upturn the apple cart, but it is another stepping stone and we felt along with Venetia that this is the right way to go."