WHILE most attention over the weekend was focussed on the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown, over in Sandown on Saturday the Colin Tizzard-trained Native River impressively landed the three-mile Grade 2 Virgin Bet Cotswold Chase on heavy ground.

Ridden by Richard Johnson, who was also on board the chesnut when he won the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the 11-year-old Indian River gelding was having only his second start – and his first of the season – since claiming the Grade 2 Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury a year ago.