Martha's Son finds the legs to burn off ageing Viking Flagship

The crown appeared to be wedged on Viking Flagship's head for so long but yesterday there was, at long last, another coronation here among Britain's sprint chasers. Martha's Son followed up his victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase with victory in the Mumm Melling Chase to cement his place on the throne. Strong Promise was second and Viking Flagship third in typical game fashion on legs which are no longer the pistons of old.

Martha's Son himself has legs that do not belong on the catwalk. Last year, after he was fired, it seemed that the gelding's future would involve nothing more complicated than nibbling grass in a paddock. "We turned him out in May last year with two, clean, straight, hard tendons and two days later he had two bowed tendons," Tim Forster, the winning trainer, reported. "My vet came and looked at him in the field and shook his head."

A rejuvenated beast stood at the starting line yesterday, but then appeared intent on doing himself further damage, crashing through the first fence.

From then the order among four of the nation's finest chasers was much the same throughout; Ask Tom popping away in front with his ears flicking as if he was picking up reception from several international frequencies. He dropped away in the straight, however, as Martha's Son swept through with an unusual acceleration for a National Hunt horse. "He's got two speeds," Forster said, "one idling and then he presses the fireburner and is off."

This was all proof that the pendulum never stops swinging in National Hunt racing. Martha's Son has provided moments of great exhilaration for Forster this season, but the Shropshire-based trainer has lost two great favourites in Maamur and Coonawara along the way.

Major plans are already being entertained for two further winners yesterday in Sanmartino and Cyborgo. The former took David Nicholson's tally at the meeting to five when winning the opener and must be considered a Champion Hurdle aspirant even if he goes back on the Flat this summer.

Cyborgo was beaten in the Gold Cup last month on ground much too fast for him, but remains an animal of great merit judged on his victory in the Mumm Mildmay Novices' Chase. "He's a real professional, does everything you ask and is very tough," was the assessment of Richard Dunwoody. He is now leading jockey at the meeting with four winners, while Pipe completed a double with Cadougold in the Oddbins Handicap Hurdle.