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THE first round of deciding the champion staying chaser in the land will get underway at Haydock Park at 3.00 with the Grade One Chase over an extended three miles and a furlong.

Current title holder Protektorat has a tremendous record when fresh and even more pertinently after a wind operation. Off-season the son of Saint Des Saints has experienced a third breathing procedure, which is unusual in itself, but obviously seemed imperative to do to his astute trainer.

He jumped beautifully from fence to fence 12 months ago and galloped on relentlessly under Harry Skelton to score by 11 lengths from Eldorado Allen, with Frodon a further seven and a half lengths back in third spot. But the most important fact about that race was that the red hot favourite, A Plus Tard, ran way below par and kind of rendered the race of 2022 one that fell apart around the winner, and even with just the four runners here this could prove a much harder prospect.