Expert Analysis

No Questions Asked was still around a dozen lengths behind with five to jump but had closed the gap to three or four lengths jumping four out. This looked like a perfect set up for the winner with the leader racing too keenly before tiring in the closing stages. At Newbury, this winner stopped over what appeared to be a distance beyond his stamina limitations. He then dropped away again over a slightly shorter trip at Ascot after which his trainer suggested that, in retrospect only, it was too quick a turnaround for his horse. It was encouraging, therefore, to see No Questions Asked find more when the eventual runner up renewed his challenge from the last fence.

NO QUESTIONS ASKED I do not think we can get too carried away with this victory given he had one target horse to aim at with the only other runner dropping away tamely from the third last fence. It would be easy to conclude that this drop down to this minimum trip was the making of him. I am not so sure as I doubt he would have found his way back into this race on a less taxing surface and/or if Be Aware had put in a cleaner round of jumping. He will be close to 150 after today and so he will presumably be kept to graded company for the time being. His trainer intimated that it might be the Grade 1 Manifesto Chase at Aintree next.

BE AWARE After jumping well at both Cheltenham and Sandown in his latest two chases, he was less impressive in the jumping department here. Perhaps the more taxing ground was not for him; either way, it is easy to forgive him this one disappointing effort after the way he has jumped in his previous three chases.

ALNILAM Since jumping superbly well at Cheltenham in a chase that was run at a fast pace, he has failed to live up to the promise of that performance in three subsequent efforts. After disappointing at Sandown, Kempton and now here at Windsor, it might be interesting to see how he gets on if returned to the undulations of Cheltenham.